Spit Venom, Drink Gas, Breathe Fire
by NonFiction
Summary: After the war, the Gang has gone their separate ways. The world is at peace and nations prosper. it's a delicate balance, fragile and vulnerable to even the slightest of incidents. Even a simple reunion could wake the world to war. Full description inside
1. Thinking About Me

A FEW NOTES

~First off, be forgiving with spelling and gramar. This fic has been cooking so long, everything just blends together and I can't even see my own mistakes. That said, I still try my best. That also said, if anyone wants to beta or proof read for me, that's cool.

~The name "Spit Venom, Drink Gas, Breath Fire" has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, setting, or characters. It is just a summery of Toph's attitude, as I interperet it.

~It also happens to be a lyric, which I have used but claim no rights to. Those of you more musically inclined may recognize several such occasions in the fic. Yeah, it's a rip, if you don't like it, there's the door - |[ ]|

~This fic began as a brief writing exercise on character study that I had no intention on posting. It then became a oneshot, twoshot, and threeshot. However, I kept writing still, and it has somehow become a decent length story.

~As mentioned, this is my attempt at writing the characters as faithful (as this ship can be) to themselves. A bit of time has passed, so I also tried to focus on making them more mature while still trying to stay within the constraints of canon and character. Let me know if I pulled it off, please…

~In regards to the plot itself; it starts out kinda drama-y and angst-y and lame-y. But action and violence and will be soon to come. If I were to say overall what this story is about_, _I'd say it's about war. And how it forces you to grow up.

~There is to be no mention of the R word in this fic by anyone. Doing so will be met with swift and mighty justice.

~This story will start out looking like Kataang. Then maybe Zutara. But this story is 100% pure Toko. Other ships are; Sokki, Kataang, Jiru.

~So far, I have written (as of 12:52 AM Monday July 11, 2011) about 32k words worth of story. I'd like to say it's 100% done before I posted it, but I'm getting the itchy finger.

~Lastly, I will say something on reviews. I welcome all haters and hoeskies alike. But something nice and pretty is always preferred. Or it may get metal in here.

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><p><strong>.::Spit Venom, Drink Gas, Breath Fire::.<strong>

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><p>Ch 1: Thinking About Me :1 Ch<p>

The cool spring wind blew through her hair, whipping the traditional loops of her ancestors in her eyes. She leaned back, closing her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky, enjoying the heat that washed over her and the radiant light that penetrated her senses right through her shut lids. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy. It had been two years since she had seen her friends, and four years since they had _all_ been together. The thought was enough to draw a disheartened sigh from her. The pragmatist in her told her it couldn't be helped. That was just life. It's the natural order of things for people to grow apart. But part of her had once held out hope that the bonds they had forged in fighting a war were stronger than that. She smiled thinking that perhaps optimism was a fool's endeavor and wondering just exactly when she had become so jaded.

It probably happened in the time she had not seen hide nor hair of what were supposed to be her best and closest friends. In two years, the only one of them she had seen was her brother and, on the sparse occasions that she made the long boat trip south with him, Suki. She was grateful that they visited, though if she were to be honest, she had the impression that Sokka made the voyage less to see his sister and more out of a sense of duty to his struggling tribe. The Southern Watertribe had made progress since the war had ended. The humble little collection of whale-skin huts and ice shacks was starting to return to its former glory. And, with the generous help of a troop of waterbenders from the north, slowly but surely a majestic city of ice grew from the animal hide shelters. But life in the south was by no means easy. It didn't have the population to warrant frequent visits from merchant ships like the north did. Nor did it have anything worth trading, other than fish, which could be obtained in the north in larger quantities for less coin.

Katara sighed, opening her eyes and stripping off her coat. After so long at the South Pole, she was not acclimated to the warmer weather of the equator. She glanced around the saddle, eyeing each of her traveling companions in turn. Sokka and Suki. Haru and some girl he had insisted go along with them (the waterbender vaguely remembered being introduced to her, but at the moment, couldn't be brought to care who she was). They were all locked in the polite and unwieldy conversation of old friends who had grown apart. Awkward pauses and uncomfortable laughs ran rampant as they attempted to find common ground. Katara directed her gaze to the only other member of their group not participating in the torturous forced conversation, a young man who sat on the head of the massive bison they were soaring through the sky on. And as she did, she felt her gaze become a scowl.

Out of all of them, _he_ was the last person she had expected to up and abandon her. Zuko was busy ruling a country, so that was a given. Sokka, while not up to anything as grand as the young Fire Lord, was trying to start a life with Suki. And Katara had sympathy for that. Toph was busy with what Toph was always busy with. Bothering Zuko and Iroh. Katara had once considered the brash little earthbender her closest friend. And while it hurt that she never saw her, it was understandable. She couldn't exactly write and say hello, and she knew that Toph would sooner die than set foot on snow and ice. Which, out of the core gang, left only one person. The one person who had the means to see her any time he pleased was, ironically, the one person she saw the least of. And that, despite everything else, hurt the most. Knowing that he had the ability to be with her anytime he pleased, and still _chose_ not even to drop by made her chest tight. She once thought they had had someth-

"We're here, guys," his familiar voice said as it cut through her thoughts. It was deeper than she remembered. It should have made her nostalgic, but at the moment, it served only to make her bitter.

She tore her eyes and thoughts away from the Avatar and peered out over the side of Appa's saddle. Beneath them was a chain of islands that made up the main body of the Fire Nation. As they soared over innumerable amounts of smaller islands, the large 'main land' as it was called, came into view. Unlike most of the other islands near by, it was less densely forested; a product of the ruthless industrialization of the previous Fire Lords. The sun was already dying the dusk sky a vibrant red as they drew nearer to the capitol city's crater. The sprawling metropolis and, in Katara's humble opinion, the most advanced city in the entire world, was set in the center of a long dormant volcano. Every time she set eyes on it, it never failed to amaze her.

The waterbender heard Aang shout a command to his furry flying companion and as the rushing wind assaulted her ears and her stomach threatened to jump out of her mouth, they began to descend towards the dead center of the capitol. Slowly, the palace came into focus, bringing a smile onto her face. On the rare occasions she visited, Katara made sure to soak in every bit of time she could in the royal stronghold. In the failing light, it stood as an oasis among the metallic desert that was the capitol. The vibrant greens of the palace's gardens stood out as a beacon of life and prosperity amid the dreary reds and black of the surrounding city.

Aang flew them toward the end of the path that made up the formal entrance to the palace, and as they neared the ground, Katara was the first to leap off of Appa. She set foot on solid ground again, taking in the wonder around her as she heard her companions scrambling down behind her. Several firebenders scurried down the long stone road that led to the palace, lighting the torch posts with a wave of their hand as they passed by. They were military, she noted. But the heavy black and red armor had been abandoned in favor of flowing dark red kimonos, probably one of Zuko's attempts to emphasize this was a time of peace. As night took the sky above and the dancing lights of the flames around her sprang to life, a chill crept up her skin. The royal palace was one of her favorite places on the entire planet, and as a person who had seen pretty much every noteworthy location on the globe; she considered her opinion to carry some weight.

While the technological marvel of the surrounding city often astonished her, it was the royal palace that she loved. Built long, long before the Fire Nation industrialized, it was crafted of stone and wood by what she could only assume were the master masons and carpenters of the time. The huge pillars and arching roofs were so distinct and unlike any architecture she had encountered before. It was beautiful, in the most profound sense of the word. She felt an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as everyone joined her. Her brother was rambling on about something, but it seemed their conversation had grown much more natural. As they passed her by, she was glad they didn't have to force themselves to enjoy each other's company. She watched them walk for a moment down the long stone road towards the palace before she turned around.

Behind her, Aang was handing Appa's reigns over to several firebenders who were bowing deeply and repeatedly. The waterbender grinned as she watched Aang smile and rub the back of his head. Even after all this time she could tell he was still uncomfortable with people treating him with so much respect. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing she was staring and waved. With a final word to the firebenders and several more bows on their part, he jogged up to her, a clumsy apologetic smirk painted over his face.

"Hey," he began slowly, unsure of what to say.

Katara sighed. She was hoping their words wouldn't be as forced as the others. She prepared herself for their first exchange in a long time with reassuring smile, "Hey yourself."

They walked in silence for a few moments, catching up to, but still lagging behind their comrades. Katara set her gaze forward toward the fire-lit palace and listened to the idle conversation in front of her, all the while well aware of the sideways gazes shot her way by the young airbender next to her.

"I missed you," Aang blurted out quietly enough so no one else would hear.

Katara had to stop herself from scoffing. _Funny way to show it, not even bothering so swing by for two years_, she thought. Despite the venom in her mind, her only reaction outwardly was returning one of the Avatar's sideways glances, "How old are you now, Aang?"

The airbender's steps faltered for a moment as the seemingly random question caught him off guard. "Almost seventeen," he replied after rejoining her side, "I'm starting to get whiskers."

Katara laughed quietly as she watched him scratch at the miniscule and nearly invisible hairs on his chin. He was growing, becoming a man, apparently. He was already taller than her, but he was still built like a collection of twigs that had mysteriously sprouted a big, bald head.

"Congratulations," she replied more sarcastically than was necessary.

Aang laughed awkwardly at this, and their conversation continued on as they entered the palace gates. Though she was still participating in their exchange, Katara's thoughts had left the Avatar as she observed the inner walls of the palace. It was filled with servants and towering banners of the new symbol of the Fire Nation that fluttered in the cool night breeze. Indoors, the floors were made of polished black marble that was buffed so thoroughly the stone had become reflective. As their group progressed towards the throne room, servants eyed them suspiciously before they bowed and moved out of the way and Katara found herself absently wondering if Zuko was aware they were arriving today.

As her brother's loud and obnoxious voice shattered the conversation around her, she got her answer.

In front of her, Sokka was banging his fist on the great metal door that guarded the entrance to throne room shouting things like, 'Knock knock! Delivery for Fire Lord Zuko!' As he pushed on the heavy door it began to creak open and the sight that met her eyes put a genuine ear-to-ear smile on her face.

The first thing she noticed was the distinct lack of flames that were usually dancing around the throne. Instead of the Fire Lord, Toph sat on the ornate stone chair sideways, with her back against one of the arms and her legs draped lazily over the other, picking at her fingernails and looking completely bored. A little ways in front of her, Zuko sat cross-legged on the floor of the chamber, his head resting in his hand as he stared intensely at a Pai Sho bored with a frustrated frown on his face.

Katara watched as the Fire Lord looked up, muted shock on his face. He recovered quickly and all around the chamber the ceremonial flames of the throne burst into life, towering over them and casting the cavernous room in an ethereal orange glow. In the new light, the Fire Lord looked intimidating, almost threatening as he stood, and Katara made a mental note of the impressive display of firebending she had just witnessed.

"I SAID WE WERE NOT TO BE DISTUR-" Zuko's scratchy roar was cut short as he saw the faces of the people who had intruded upon his throne room. And all at once the flames around them died away to their original nothingness and the threatening countenance left Zuko.

Katara couldn't help but laugh as Zuko's face went from thoughtful to frustrated to furious to shock and finally, skidded to a halt somewhere in the domain of delight. She watched him glance over his shoulder at Toph who had hopped off his throne and now stood behind him with crossed arms and a lopsided smirk her face. The Fire Lord stepped forward with Toph in tow as they all gathered around him. Shouts of greeting, clasped arms, and hugs went around, and Katara found herself examining her two missing companions as she rested against the chamber doors. Both of them had grown significantly, most notably Toph, who now stood at Zuko's shoulder height. In four years she really had changed into a beautiful young woman. Her frame was lean and lithe, perhaps a bit too muscular to be considered the ideal of femininity, but it fit her so well. She was wearing the colors of the Fire Nation, a shirt with torn off sleeves, an intricate vest over that, and simple pants that came down just past her knees. But what struck Katara most was her hair. For the first time since she had known the earthbender, her hair was down and flowing, and her bangs were _almost_ out of her face. It was striking how she looked so much older as she talked with Sokka and Suki. Katara thought for a moment, realizing she was already seventeen. The realization gave her pause. It seemed like only yesterday she was a dirty and unrefined little kid. Now she was a dirty and unrefined woman.

The waterbender smiled and looked to Toph's side at Zuko. He was taller as well, and had his hair up in a traditional topknot, which Katara always tried not to laugh at. It made his face so boyish looking. His hair was seemingly longer, though it was hard to tell while it was up, but his face hadn't changed at all. And as she watched him more closely, she noticed his tendency to turn away the scarred side of his face while talking had disappeared. It almost gave her the impression he wore his mark with pride. She shrugged the thought off and walked up to the Fire Lord as he conversed jovially with Aang, Haru, and most interestingly, the strange girl Haru had brought along. The waterbender stopped short of joining their group, instead taking a place long the wall of the throne room and smiled at him. Zuko waved her over encouragingly, but Katara smiled wider and shook her head stubbornly. She laughed as Zuko sighed and broke away from his comrades with a wave and made his way towards her.

"It's great to see you," Zuko said as he joined her against the wall, watching everyone talk, "I'm sorry we haven't kept up."

"Don't worry about it, I know you're all important now," Katara smiled, wondering how Zuko of all people would be the one sensitive to her situation. She shot him a look and found he was still staring at the girl beside Haru.

"You know her?" The now curious waterbender asked.

Zuko shook his gaze loose and smiled at Katara's tone, "Yeah, I do as a matter of fact. She and I once went out on a date. Her name is Jin and I met her in Ba Sing Se. Seeing her kind of makes me feel… Nostalgic."

Katara looked at Zuko, bewildered. She made no effort to hide the surprise on her face that such a personal and out of character piece of information had been offered up voluntarily, "Are you sure you're Zuko?"

The Fire Lord chuckled and turned on his shoulder as it rested against the wall so he could face her, "Are you sure you're Katara?" His tone had suddenly lost its joking edge and became serious, "You've hardly said a word to anyone since you got here. And I happen to know for a fact the little leprechaun has been dying to see you, excuse the pun."

Katara smiled at the firebender's reference to Toph and glanced over at her as she spoke to Zuko, "Is that so? You sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?"

"I'm sure," Zuko replied uncharacteristically smoothly, "You forget, I now have much more…convenient ways of getting rid of people. Perks of being the big bad Fire Lord." He watched her face rise in amusement at his pseudo-threat and was glad Katara had lightened her mood, "Go. Talk. I'll get some servants to see that rooms are set up for all of you."

She nodded in affirmation before leaving Zuko to make her way over to the little earthbender. As soon as she was in arm's reach, Toph had struck her shoulder with what Katara was sure was more stone than fist. She rubbed the tender skin with an expression torn between a grin and scowl, "Good old Toph. Oh how I've missed the bruises."

The earthbender laughed and threw her arms around Katara. It was a hug. Brief, but a hug none the less, "Nice to have you back around, Sugar."

Katara smiled down at her friend, "Since when do you do hugs?"

The raven-haired girl pushed her away and blew the bangs out of her face as she led the waterbender back to Zuko's throne, the firepit as she jokingly referred to it, "How about since you disappeared for two years."

Katara sighed, not wanting to get into that. She kept up a conversation with Toph for a long time while Zuko made rounds between the rest of them. She had lost track of time when the Fire Lord entered the chamber again, a young lady at his side. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "This is Lin," he said motioning to the girl beside him. Katara glanced at Lin, who was in the midst of a polite bow. She was young, the waterbender noted, probably not any older than Toph, "She will show you all to your rooms."

Groans went around the room, signaling no one was ready to retire quite yet. Zuko held up his hands, a smile on his face, "Sleep. Trust me. This palace rises at dawn. And we are going to have a long day tomorrow. As I'm sure you all know…it is my birthday." Zuko paused and Katara watched as he and Toph exchanged smiles, "Uncle is insisting on throwing a…get together of sorts." A snort from Toph sounded out, "Okay," Zuko conceded, "It's more like a dinner party."

"Every princess deserves to have a ball!" Toph yelled out, and Katara smiled as a round of laughter went around the room, even Lin was trying to suppress a giggle beside the Fire Lord.

Zuko glared at Toph, who replied by sticking her tongue out playfully at the Firelord. And Katara found herself wondering how close they had gotten as he continued, "Anyway, the point is, get some rest. We'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow."

From her spot against the wall, she watched as Lin ushered people out after they bid each other good night. After several moments, only Toph, Zuko, and herself were left in the dim light of the throne room. The waterbender smiled as the pair made their way over to her.

"Don't feel like sleeping?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Katara laughed inwardly at the stark contrast in their approach. She turned to Toph first.

"Nothing is wrong with me, leprechaun." The waterbender suppressed another laugh as Toph frowned and crossed her arms, muttering something about how she was already spending too much time with Zuko.

Katara turned to the Fire Lord, whose eyes were locked on Toph with a smile on his face, "And no I don't feel much like sleeping. Do you mind if I wander around a little? I don't think I've ever told you, but I love this place."

Zuko tore his eyes away and nodded, "No, no, of course not. Make yourself at home. Your welcome anywhere there isn't a locked door. I'll let the guards know not to bother you."

Katara thanked him, and bid both of them goodnight. She watched them walk away in the darkness wondering what exactly was going on between them. As they rounded the corner, she looked around the newly deserted corridor. With a smile, she set off to explore the palace, alone and in the dark.

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><p>Well that is it for now. I think I'm just going to publish the first chapter, see how the reviews are first. There is a lot more written, but it will be a while probably before I post chapter 2.<p>

Anyway, you may now review. Go ahead. Do it. I dare you.


	2. I Who Have Nothing

A Few Notes;

~Thanks to those of you who pointed out my mistakes in chapter 1. I will be fixing them... at some point... when I feel like it... get off my back! Damn.

~Please call me on any mistakes you catch. It will only make me better so hey. Also, don't be afraid to get specific. I'm just as lazy as you, I don't want to search through few thousand words to change adn to and lol (wtf u mean ctrl+f? get out mah house)

~This is chapter two obviously. Still Katara heavy. But now with Toko flavor! (Taco flavor? Mmmm)

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><p>Chapter 2: I Who Have Nothing<p>

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><p>Zuko and Toph stood in front of the door to the little earthbenders room, facing each other in silence for what Zuko was certain was several eternities. Things were starting to get almost awkward between them, and that was something the young Fire Lord would absolutely not stand for. Another stretch of total stillness passed between them as Zuko searched for words. Unfortunately, he only came up with two.<p>

"Well, goodnight," he muttered out a bit too fast to seem casual. The firebender took a moment to mentally slap himself for being so verbally clumsy.

"Goodnight," Toph returned, smiling as she felt Zuko cringe at his choice of words.

Zuko nodded, expecting Toph to turn around and enter her chambers. However, she remained firmly rooted on the spot, her face tilted up towards him as their eyes locked in futility. She was biting her bottom lip, he noticed. Zuko smiled, knowing it was Toph's nervous tell. She always did that when she was anxious. Or, the firebender had to remind himself, whenever she was trying to hold in laughter. Zuko felt his face contort at he tried to figure out the expressional significance of the young woman before him. He knew Toph well. Very well. She was, in fact, the person he probably knew the best. And the fact that she was still able to mystify him after so many years frustrated and amused him simultaneously.

The Fire Lord crossed his arms, deciding that Toph's lip biting was a result of her trying not to laugh, considering she had nothing to be nervous about. And Toph trying to suppress laughter never spelled out anything good for him. So, despite his curiosity he chose to play it safe and not push her, "Ok, see you, then."

Toph was well aware of the mental gymnastics the man before her was flipping through, and she was trying her best not to snicker. It never ceased to amaze her that the sheer volume of Zuko's thoughts could always be manifested in four words or less. So she returned the favor, "Ok, feel ya later."

Zuko nodded again, again waiting for Toph to turn away and enter her bedroom. When she remained posted, his lips involuntarily spread into a smile. Even though he was well aware of it, he had somehow been sucked into playing her little game. The firebender uncrossed his arms and sighed in resignation, "Okay. I give. What are you waiting for?"

"You know damn well what I'm waiting for, Sparky," Toph said accusingly as she brought a finger up and poked him in the chest.

"No," Zuko paused, and Toph could hear his tone change as he became flustered, "I don't. Or I wouldn't be asking."

The little earthbender mimicked Zuko and crossed her arms, "Ox-horse shit and you know it."

Zuko let loose another sigh. She was right, unfortunately. He did know exactly what was going on, but some part of him was really trying to avoid it. Why, he couldn't fathom. He leaned down to her level, taking a moment to enjoy the way her face momentarily became unsure and panicked before he pressed his lips gingerly to her forehead. He leaned in a bit further so he could whisper into her ear, "Goodnight, Toph Bei Fong. Sweet dreams."

The firebender drew back, satisfied with the stupefied expression that had taken up residence on Toph's face. However, she recovered a bit too quickly for his liking, and a mischievous smirk took her lips.

"This is for making me wait," Toph struck the young man before her hard in the stomach, pleased with the gratifying way he doubled over.

Zuko looked up when he heard Toph's door slam in his face and saw that she had already vanished into her chambers for the night. He couldn't help but smile through the pain. In some sick way, he had a feeling he was starting to like it when Toph hit him. _Because it's her way of showing affection_, he reminded himself. _Nothing weird, right? _

_Right._

The Fire Lord turned on his heel and set off down the dark corridor with the same stupid smile he had on his face whenever Toph pulled stunts like that. Since the war had ended, he and Toph had barely spent any time apart. He had offered her a place to stay, knowing she would likely never return home of her own free will. She had accepted, and that was that. They had become "inseparable," as his uncle was so fond of putting it. Zuko however, hated the word. The old man made it sound like they were attached at the hip. And while it was true that they spent a lot of time together, the recent turn in his and the little earthbender's relationship was enough to make him shy away from words like "inseparable." The turn was so gradual, Zuko wasn't even sure when it happened. It could still be happening for all he knew. Out of nowhere, their friendship had become much more physical. It seemed they were almost always in some sort of contact. Always polite and innocent and indiscrete contact, of course. Knees touching under the table, grazes of the hand, and shoulders resting against each other ever _so slightly_ it seemed to suck his entire being into only that part of his body, like his nerves were trying to make sure he felt every moment of contact as much as possible.

Suddenly, platonic kisses goodnight had become a staple of their day-to-day interaction. The first, and last, time she had literally asked for one, he laughed. In that moment, he couldn't have been more certain that she was screwing with him. But as per usual, she left him surprised. And now here they were, skirting around the subject of their changing relationship in a very indirect and very, very un-Toph-and-Zuko-like fashion.

The Fire Lord turned a corner, his eyes closed in thought. He had long since memorized the layout of his palace. Not to mention it was dark, and generally being around Toph somehow left you with an appreciation for such things. So when he ran into something in the middle of a hallway that should have been empty and deserted, he was a bit startled. As he stumbled back from the impact, he fell gracefully into a firebending stance and opened his eyes, ready to incinerate what or whoever had just interrupted his thoughts. In the almost perfect darkness, he could just barely make out the shape of a body huddled on the floor. Instinctually, fire burst into life in his palm and along several of the torch holders that lined the corridor nearest to him. What greeted him in the new light, however, dropped his guard. It was Katara, sitting on the floor and rubbing her nose with water in her eyes.

"Geez, Zuko. Only you could hit someone in the face with your chest."

"You okay?" he asked with a polite chuckle as he offered her a hand. She took it gratefully, and he hauled her up.

The woman sniffled, whipping away the involuntary tears from her watering eyes as she regarded the Fire Lord, "Yeah…I'm good."

Zuko paused and watched her for a moment, studying her expression and how she had managed to find her way to the royal quarters, "You're lost, aren't you?"

"Yep." Katara laughed at herself, "Your servant left with the others, so I never found out where I could sleep."

The Fire Lord smirked at her a moment, briefly considering taunting her like he would Toph. _Not like that brat would ever get lost_, he added to himself as he attempted to turn his smirk into a more benign smile, "Don't worry about it. You can follow me, I'll show you to your room."

Katara regarded Zuko with a skeptical gaze as he turned around and started off down the dimly lit corridor, wondering why at such a late hour she was being personally led to her room by the Fire Lord himself, "You could just get a guard to do it, Zuko."

The firebender froze mid-step, considering her offer. It would indeed be easier to let a guard show her to the guest quarters, but with guards came suspicious eyes and devilish smirks. They above all others would find it interesting what the Fire Lord was doing at _that particular part_ of the royal quarters so late. Zuko shook the idea from his head, deciding it was far less trouble to show Katara to a room than have to deal with the newest batch of rumors about him and Toph the next morning, "Don't worry about it," he said, quieting his mind, "It's on the way."

The blue-eyed brunette shrugged off her friend's suddenly tame demeanor and followed him as he turned down a smaller hallway. The air around her was getting progressively cooler as they ventured further. And as the confining stone walls around her gave way to neatly spaced columns, she knew why. They had arrived at a courtyard in the dead center of the palace, and as they stepped from polished granite to soft well-kept grass the ceiling melted away, revealing a hazy night sky. She stood in a garden of quiet beauty, its features too muted to be considered spectacular. But it held an air of peace, simple and calming. And though it was all new to her, the crooked maple trees and tiny spring pond were somehow very familiar. Katara's mind flashed to one of those rare occasions in their youth when Zuko had spoken about is past. He had described being in this garden with his mother, she remembered.

Suddenly feeling like she was intruding on something sacred, Katara turned to face her old friend in an attempt to excuse herself. But the young Fire Lord had his back to her with his head titled up to the sky, "Zuko…" She started, not sure of the fastest way to get out of there was. But before she could finish, the firebender turned around with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I really hate the sky here. It's awful. But I guess that's the price you pay." Zuko shrugged and motioned for Katara to follow him further into the garden as he turned and set off again.

Beginning to feel slightly frustrated with the Fire Lord, she set off after him at a quick pace, rapidly meeting the leisurely gate of his stroll, "I thought you were taking me to my room?"

"I am. This is a short cut." Zuko replied naturally. But only after a short trek through the garden, the Fire Lord paused again as they neared a tiny pond. He took a seat on one of the stone benches that looked out over the serene, perfectly still body of water and motioned for his companion to join him.

"I hope you don't expect me to sleep here," Katara shot at her friend as she plopped down harder than necessary on the carved stone.

"No, of course not."

Silence reined again and, again, Katara felt like she was intruding. She turned her head just enough to allow her to gaze at the Fire Lord from the corner of her eye. His face was carved as an unreadable mask. From her position at his side, all she could see was his injured eye, set in its perpetual glare. The uncomfortable silence weighed down on her and she found herself wondering exactly what he was thinking about. _Probably his mother_, she mused to herself. But that didn't expla-

"What's wrong with you, Katara?"

The waterbender snapped herself out of her thoughts, and found that Zuko had leaned back on his hands and turned to face her, his previous mask of neutrality replaced by an expression of concern and curiosity. Something about his look was so genuine, so harmless, so inviting she considered for a moment spilling her guts to him on the spot. Which she found ridiculous. This was still Zuko, after all. No matter how different he seemed. So she summed up her emotions with a simple shrug, "Nothing. What's wrong with you."

Zuko felt a smile cross his lips at her downplayed defensiveness, "There's a lot wrong," he replied casually, hoping his earnestness would urge her on, "Where would you like me to begin? Unless of course, your question was sarcastic and meant to be rhetorical. But why would you do that, hmm?"

Katara laughed gently, glad, after all, that Zuko was there as a distraction from her thoughts, "I don't care. Start wherever you want."

The Firebender nodded, understanding that this was less about his problems and more about taking his friend's mind off of whatever troubles were plaguing her, "Well," he began steadily, not sure what to jump into first, "Let's see. There's a group of militant rebels determined to 'bring back the Fire Nation's days of honor and glory' running around my cities, destroying shops and the like for a reason I have yet to understand. How does burning down bakeries restore honor?"

The waterbender cocked a brow at Zuko as he shook his head in quiet, almost sad laughter, "You're the Fire Lord. Have them arrested or killed or whatever it is you do. You have the whole resources of a country that almost took over the world behind you. How hard could it be to round up a few dissenters?"

Zuko smiled at her, almost envious of how pure her reasoning was. He was jealous that her mind was untainted with the pollution of diplomacy and politics. But purity and naivety sometimes go hand in hand, "The notion has undoubtedly crossed my mind, but it's not so simple, I'm afraid. First off, with so many trade restrictions, treaties limiting the size and development rate of our military as well as the rate we develop new technology, and absolutely ridiculous tariffs on all foreign goods, the country that almost took over the world won't be in the position to do so again for another couple of centuries.

"But, more importantly, I refuse to hunt down my own citizens simply because they are unhappy with the regime change. I am not my father. I will not rule with an iron fist. It is their right to be unhappy and seek change."

"But is it their right to burn down markets?" Katara countered, finding herself mysteriously absorbed into her friend's dilemma.

"Certainly not."

"Throw them in jail, then. They might be your citizens, but they're breaking the law. I understand you are trying to let your country know that you are not your father, but taking it easy on criminals and forsaking justice within your own borders isn't the way to do it."

Zuko stared at her for a moment, finding himself suddenly pleased with the simplicity of her logic, "There's a saying my father would often use in my youth," The Fire Lord turned to meet Katara's gaze, "'Blood is the price of glory.' I didn't get it then, but now it couldn't be more obvious.

"This nation has thrived on war for a hundred years. Spilling the blood of our neighbors is what made us affluent and great. The collective unconscious of my people is warlike and not suited for these times of peace. Even if they don't realize it, the seeds of war never die in this land. It pains me to say, but from a purely economical standpoint, these dissenters burning my cities are right. War _is_ the best thing for the Fire Nation."

Zuko smiled at the expression on the waterbender's face. It gave him the impression he may have gone over her head a bit. She didn't understand that imprisoning these people would only turn them into martyrs and further their cause. He smiled at her, making a mental note to not bring up delicate political issues to Katara again. "So, that was one of my problems. Care to return the favor?"

The waterbender glared at the Fire Lord, slightly irritated he had managed to pull her into a serious conversation. For a moment, she considered spewing something about the troubles at the South Pole. But she found herself quickly leaving the notion behind. She had no real political clout there. She was, of course, well respected by the villagers. But in reality, she was no politician. Her duties were basically nothing more than that of a simple midwife. And Zuko was sharp, politically and economically erudite, and would surely cut through her problems at home like a hot knife through seal-whale blubber. So, the waterbender caved. She leaned back, mimicking her friend's now relaxed posture and sank her weight against her hands as they rested on the rough stone of the bench, "What do you want to know?"

Zuko turned to her, surprised he had been given what basically equated to a blank check in questions, "What's got you so depressed? It's weird. I don't think I've ever seen you so melancholy as you were earlier." He shot her a smile and shrugged, "It's just not right without you sticking your nose in our business and mothering us half to death, Madam Fussy-britches."

Katara scoffed at his use of Toph's old nickname, reminding herself to ask about them later. She thought about what he said, not feeling the slightest bit of guilt at leaving him with nothing but silence as an answer. How was she supposed to answer him, anyway? Did he expect her to just flop down and let what she could only describe as her "abandonment issues" flow out? She couldn't even really explain why she felt so deserted. It was illogical, and she knew it. But the feeling of not having anyone care about you was a crushing one. As the thought left her, the irony of the situation dawned on her. She was feeling abandoned by her friends and the only people who took notice were Toph and Zuko. The two people who had actually been abandoned by their family.

Katara sat up straighter, trying in vain to relive the tension that was developing in her shoulders as she tilted her head up to the sky. Zuko had said he hated it earlier, and as she stared at it, she could see why. It was hazy, clouded with fumes and exhaust of the city. _'The price you pay,'_ he had called it. The price for advancing technology, she realized. Only the brightest of stars and the piercing light of the moon showed through the misty twilight. It was such a stark contrast to the crisp and vibrant skies of the South Pole that she was used to, "I really don't know, Zuko. I guess I'm just lonely."

Zuko sighed; almost startled as she broke the silence he was just becoming accustomed to. He looked over at her, trying to decipher the meaning of her words as she stared up at the sky. And as he did, a thought struck him, "What ever happened between you and Aang?"

The young woman from the Water Tribe smiled, more to herself than her companion. She knew he would ask eventually, but that simple knowledge did not come with acceptance, "Nothing," she said truthfully, knowing that little truth was part of the issues she was facing.

"Nothing?" Zuko repeated, unsure of what she meant. "You were avoiding him pretty carefully for nothing to have happened."

Katara shook her head, "No you don't get it. _Nothing_ happened between us. This is the first I've seen of him in two years. And for the record, I wasn't avoiding him. I just have nothing to say to him."

The Fire Lord found himself doubting that last bit of information. He was quite sure that the waterbender had more than a few choice words for the Avatar. He could hear it in her tone. See it on her face. It was in the way she moved, the way she acted. She was hurt. And as Zuko watched her gaze up into the sky trying not to let the pain show on her face, he could understand why. Out of every one of their friends, Katara and Aang were the two he thought would have the "fairy tale ending." Hell, they deserved it. The kid was obviously head over heals for her, so Zuko decided to give him the benefit of the doubt as he consoled the waterbender.

"Look, Katara. Aang has a lot on his plate. He's trying to find his people. You probably don't know this, but I have my intelligence officers keep tabs on him." At her accusatory glare he quickly added, "In case anything ever happens where I need to contact him quickly. Anyway, the point is, he has done nothing but travel the planet. He is the last of his kind, the Avatar, and most importantly a lost kid. I can't imagine how it feels. No one can."

Katara sighed, "I know all that Zuko. It's why I'm not angry. Just hurt. I understand he wants to find a place where he belongs. But that doesn't mean he can neglect the family we all made together. There were people here that cared for him and he just abandoned us." She paused and turned her head to regard the Fire Lord, "I appreciate you looking out for me, but really, I don't want to talk about it."

Zuko sighed again, raising his hands in defeat as they fell into silence again. After a moment he stood, and smiled down at Katara, "Come on, I should show you to your room before we get sidetracked by something else."

"We? You're the one making pit stops, not me."

The firebender chuckled in acknowledgment as he started off into the garden. After only a few minutes, they stood in the dead center of the courtyard, surrounded by increasingly thick vegetation at an intersection of four cobblestone paths hidden in the maze of neatly trimmed hedges. "Straight ahead will lead you to an empty room you can use. It's a bit away from the others in the guest quarters, sorry."

Katara nodded as her host turned around to face her. Glancing down at her feet she looked at the paths that met beneath them, "If the others are in the guest quarters, what does that mean I'll be staying in?"

"The royal quarters," Zuko answered with a smile and a finger in the air emphasizing his point, "Since I and, occasionally my uncle, are the only ones of royal blood in the palace now, there are a lot of empty chambers."

"I see…" Katara replied idly, "Where do these paths lead?"

"That one," Zuko said turning to the left, "takes you to my room. Feel free to disturb me anytime you like. Just knock first."

Katara smiled, thankful for Zuko's hospitality, "And what about that one?" She asked, pointing down the only unexplained path.

"That will lead you to Toph's room." Zuko said a bit less enthusiastically, hoping Katara would not look too far into the subject. But as he watched a mischievous smile rise into place on her lips, he knew his hopes were in vain.

"Toph stays in the royal quarters with you?" The waterbender made her inquiry as innocent sounding as possible.

"Yes." Zuko said flatly, not looking forward to Katara's infamous nosiness.

"In a room that's connected by a secret path through a garden?"

"Yes." He was starting to hate that knowing smile on her face.

"Oh I see," Katara said, her smile now threatening to split her head in half.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Zuko huffed as he crossed his arms, trying to keep the frown off his face at what the waterbender was not so subtly implying, "Toph happens to be head of palace security and my personal bodyguard."

Katara watched as Zuko tried to cover his embarrassment with his temper, just like he always did. And for an instant he wasn't the Fire Lord anymore, just that sixteen-year-old boy she knew so long ago with more than his fair share of issues. It was sort of endearing watching him get so worked up over her poking fun at him and Toph. Something a little more than body-guarding was going on between them, and now her suspicions had all but been confirmed. So, deciding it was worth the potential burns, she began to grill her friend a little more, "I'm sure she is. How else would you justify her sneaking off into your room at night?"

Zuko spun on his heels, looking surprised before a scowl draped across his features, "She does NOT sneak into my room!"

"Well no, I suppose not if you're letting her in." The waterbender giggled to herself. The red on Zuko's face was evident even in the dim twilight.

"Katara. Go to bed before I light you on fire."

"Fine, fine." She said as she turned around and set off down the path Zuko had indicated earlier. Without turning around, she waved over her shoulder, "Tell Toph I said goodnight."

Zuko growled in response, which drew another laugh from the retreating waterbender. When she disappeared in the shadows of the palace walls, he turned around and set off down the path towards his own room. It had been a while since he had seen Katara, but she certainly didn't seem to have changed that much, aside from her uncharacteristic depression. Enjoying the peaceful silence of the garden, the Fire Lord pressed on. And as he entered the preface of columns that lined the entrance to his quarters, he was only mildly surprised to find the petite frame of the World's Greatest Earthbender leaning against one of the pillars further back, her body half consumed in shadow.

"And after I was just trying to convince her you weren't sneaking off into my room at night," Zuko smiled and shook his head in feigned annoyance as he walked past his best friend, "I'd have thought you'd be in bed by now."

Toph pushed off the column and joined Zuko's side as he continued on towards his room, "That was a really good thing you did there, Sparky. She really needed it. I'm proud of you," she paused for a playful strike to his shoulder, "When did you get so wise and sensitive?"

"Probably since you started following me around like a lost puppy. Someone has to compensate for your callous indifference." The firebender retorted as he opened the door to his room, waiting for her to enter before following her in. With a wave of his hand, fire burst into life around the room.

As the new warmth washed over her face, Toph shrugged, "Callous? Nah, I'm just a realist. And me? Follow you? Sorry, I must be getting wisdom confused with insanity."

"Oh yeah?" Zuko stepped up to her, close enough so he was sure she could feel the ambient heat of his body, "If I'm so insane, tell me, what are you doing in _my_ chambers right now?"

"Have I mentioned how I hate you?" The earthbender had meant her words to come out biting and full of sarcasm. Instead, they escaped her lips as nothing more than a whisper.

Zuko laughed and let himself fall back onto his bed, "Don't be mad because I can talk circles around you."

"Yeah, seems like all you do is talk sometimes," Toph said as she fell back onto the bed next to Zuko, "All jokes aside though, I really do think you did a good thing for Sugar Queen."

"Well it certainly came at a price. She seems to be under the impression you and I are some sort of risqué item and you sneak into my room at night. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Not ironic, just coincidental. I mean, I am here. But I don't need to sneak anywhere." Toph declared as she blew the bangs out of her face.

"Yeah, she mentioned that too." Zuko said with a small, almost inaudible laugh.

Toph shrugged, "She was just grateful get her mind off of stuff. Besides you _are_ an easy target. But hey, that's why I like you."

Zuko turned his head to the side, staring at the raven-haired young woman beside him. It was rare for her to be this sincere, and even more rare for her to be so complementary. As he watched her, a comfortable silence fell over them, broken only by the soft crackling of firelight around them, and not for the first time, he had the urge to tell her just how beautiful she had become.

"What?" Toph broke out suddenly, "I can feel you staring at me, you know."

The Fire Lord smiled at her lack of eloquence, "You're technically one of _my_ subjects now that you're an official citizen of the Fire Nation. It's _my_ right to look at you whenever I please."

"Bear in mind this subject can kill you at will." The earthbender shifted around on the soft silk of her friend's bed until she was lying perpendicular to him with her head resting on his stomach. As she settled, a smile spread across her face. This was one of her favorite positions to be in with Zuko. Being a firebender was synonymous with being a belly breather, and as she rested against him, enjoying the lulling rise and fall of his breathing, she found herself becoming quite sleepy.

"So, Subject," Zuko started, running his fingers through his companion's smooth locks, "What would you like to do tomorrow?"

Toph turned to her side and tried to stifle a yawn, "Well it's been a while, so I kinda want to test my pupil's metal."

"Good plan." The Fire Lord agreed, "I think I'll do the same. Lets have everyone meet us at the ring in the morning." He felt Toph nod and mutter an 'ummk' in response.

"You're getting sleepy, Shortstuff. Let me take you to your bed." Zuko smiled as Toph groaned, turning her back to him.

"I'll even carry you." The firebender offered.

"How about," the young woman crawled up to the pillows at the top of his bed. He wasn't ever going to hear it, but his soft, warm bed was a welcome change to her big lonely one, "Instead, _I_ stay here and _you _go away."

"Toph, the servants are going to start talking again if you keep staying in my room so much," Zuko pressed.

"Let them talk!" the earthbender declared as she tossed aside the silken covers of the Fire Lord's bed and threw herself inside, "I'll bend their gossiping asses straight into the wall."

Zuko paused, stifling his laughter at her rowdy half asleep threats. But as he recomposed himself, already prepared to counter, his gaze settled over Toph. She had the covers pulled up to her neck, her pure black locks splayed out contrasting with the crimson glow of his bed. Her breathing was already evening out, and as he watched her, he found his will to send her away fading rapidly. So, with a sigh, he caved.

"Fine, I'll sleep on the sofa." As he reached for one of the unused pillows, her hand was suddenly resting on top of his.

"You know… You don't have to stay on the couch," Toph murmured sleepily.

Again, Zuko paused. His eyes glued on her hand as it sat so lightly upon his own. So many thoughts were flying through his head; what she was implying, the consequence of his actions if he were to stay, how her body would feel pressed tightly against his, if she even knew exactly what she was telling him in her half-conscious state. Her statement was so casual, so trivial sounding he began to feel terrible for even letting such thoughts spring from words so innocent. When he finally settled on his answer, tore his mind out of its stupor and his eyes off their still joined hands, he found himself greeted with the not so soft snores he had become so accustomed to. She was already asleep, it occurred to him. He smiled, and gingerly slipped his hand out from under hers.

"No, Toph. I really_ do_ have to sleep on the couch."

So with that same smile, one that had somehow become half tragic, he grabbed the pillow and fell back onto the sofa. At least no one had to witness him making a fool of himself. He could at least be comforted by that. So with that thought in mind, he joined Toph in slumber.

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><p>To those of you wondering about those two's relationship, I'll say this. They are basically a couple, without any of the benefits lols. If any of you have ever seen (or, gods forbid, experienced) two people like that, you'll know what I'm getting at.<p>

Chapter three will never see the light of day! Goodbye!


	3. Something Like a Romance

A Few Notes;

~I didn't have a lot of time with this chapter. It's still not REALLY how I would like it. I guess. Plus I'm not exactly confident on how error free it will be. So if you see some huge glaring mistakes, feel free to drop a line and insult my intelligence.

~To the reviewers who I didn't respond to last time; my bad haha. Laziness and what not. Kiss it.

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><p>Chapter 3: Something Like a Romance<p>

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><p>At dawn, the Fire Lord woke up to find himself in a tangled mess of black hair and with an arm that was still asleep with pins and needles. After a moment, he realized that he was somehow spooning the little earthbender that had fallen asleep on his bed the night before. He was still on the couch, which meant that at some point during the night, Toph hand stumbled out of his bed and joined him. At the moment, she was still sleeping with her head resting on Zuko's out stretched arm.<p>

The firebender took the opportunity to wrap his free hand around her stomach and buried his face into the back of her neck. A smile spread across his face as he inhaled. As usual, Toph didn't smell good at all. It had more than likely been a few days since she had bathed. And as Zuko's nose twitched in her hair, he couldn't shake the distinct smell of sweat and dirt. On anyone else, it would have been repulsive, but somehow the Fire Lord had grown accepting of the raven-haired woman's strangely addicting aroma. Which worried him on more than one level. Zuko lay still for a moment, gathering his thoughts and trying to determine the best way to handle the situation. With his arm pinned under Toph's head, any hope of making a stealthy withdraw from the sofa was out of the question. So, reluctantly, the firebender slid his free hand up from her stomach, tracing the curves of her body ever so lightly until he reached her shoulder. With a squeeze and a few nudges, he began to wake her up.

"Come on, Toph," another gentle shove, "Wake up."

"I don't remember saying I was asleep."

Zuko felt his heart plummet into his stomach. Which was quite a feat, considering it had to move sideways to get there. Her voice, and deceptively conscious state, had startled him, and all he could think of was the fact that she was probably awake when he all but groped her. The Fire Lord closed his eyes again, this time in anticipation of the rock that was most likely aimed squarely at his face.

"I mean, who could sleep when they're practically being sqeezed to death?"

After he felt some shifting around on the earthbender's part, Zuko opened his eyes to find that Toph had spun around onto her other side to face him. She was, for lack of a better term, looking right at him, so close he could feel her breath tickling his face. She had her head propped up on an elbow and a crooked smile on her lips, one that Zuko had a hard time reading and an even harder time voicing a response to.

"And nice little slide up. Real slick," Toph rolled her eyes and blew the stray bangs from her face with a little puff, "If you wanted to cop a feel, you should have just told me. It's your birthday, after all."

With that, Toph popped up off the couch and started towards the garden doors, as she slid it open, she stopped and spoke without looking over her shoulder, "Just kidding, Sparky."

Zuko watched as Toph sauntered out of his quarters dropped herself underground, utterly stupefied, and waited a few minutes before cleaning up and following her down the halls of his palace and out into the small arena he had set up in the center gardens. He bid the guards and servants good morning as he passed, doing his best to put on a lordly manner despite what just happened, and received smiles and bows in return. When he arrived, the sun was just rising over the garden walls and he was surprised, all be it pleasantly, to find everyone waiting for him. As he neared, he took a moment to examine their newly equipped battlegrounds. The modestly sized stone platform he and Toph always sparred on was now, thanks to the remarkable observance of his attendees, accented with several crates full of water, sand, and a rack of every variety of weapon the Palace Guard had to offer.

Silently thanking his servant's sense of duty, he played off the odd pause in his approach with a wave and closed the remaining distance towards his friends, "Good morning, everyone. I hope you slept well."

"Cut the pleasantries, Fire Lord Fancy Pants. We all know why we're here. I can't believe you're making us do this before feeding us. Some host you are." Sokka finished with a yawn and a stretch before making his way over to the weapons rack.

Aang smiled as Sokka exited their circle, "Don't mind him. Guess he's still not a morning person. So what did you have in mind, Zuko? By the way, happy birthday."

Zuko sighed, weary of what Aang had just unknowingly unleashed, "Thank you."

"Oh yeah! Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"Happy birthday!"

"Thank you."

"Happy twenty-first."

"Much appreciated."

"Congrat-"

"Everyone shut up," Toph interjected, "We can save all that for tonight. To answer your question," the little earthbender turned toward the Avatar before she continued, "Me and Sparkles here thought it'd be good for us to catch up the best way there is. Not to mention I really want to see just how soft you have gotten. Don't forget I'm still your earthbending master, Twinkletoes."

"That's actually a really good idea, Toph. We'll have the Avatar face all of his teachers. And then we can just do whatever." Katara agreed somewhat venomously.

Aang let a panicked expression fall over his face as he brought his hand to the back of his head in his trademarked gesture of humility, "Do I have to? Can't we all just, I don't know, meditate peacefully?"

"No." Toph said flatly. Zuko couldn't help but chuckle at his old friend's feigned fear. He is the Avatar after all, there's no way he could actually be concerned about sparring anyone. But Zuko knew Aang was never one to tread on another's ego.

"Don't worry about it Aang, you don't have to go first. It's my birthday after all. So, who wants to go?" Zuko squatted down and began stretching out his legs. It was odd, but he was feeling a bit frisky this morning. Probably thanks in no small part to the stunt Toph pulled earlier.

"How about you and Toph show us how it's done?" Katara supplied with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Zuko scowled at Katara's discrete jab at their conversation the night before and turned his head and gave Toph a glance, who merely shrugged in response. "Actually, the Squirt and I do this all the time. We know each other's routines pretty well."

"Don't hate." Toph shot as she threw her fist into Zuko's shoulder, almost knocking him over mid stretch, "By routine, he means we know that I beat him into the ground two times a day. Three on the weekend."

From across the circle, Katara was trying not to let her grin overtake her entire face. They were bickering just like and old couple. It was cute, and as she watched Zuko roll his eyes and continue their banter, which mostly consisted of them disputing who had floored who the hardest, she noticed both Suki and Jin giving the unlikely pair a suspicious glare. As much as she enjoyed poking fun at Zuko about his relationship with Toph, she got the feeling that if Suki or Jin were to get involved, Zuko, and to a more worrying extent Toph, would not be happy campers and that someone was going to end up with a few burns or broken ribs.

So she cleared her throat, silencing them both, "Relax, birthday boy. I'll take you on. It'll be just like old times."

Zuko ignored Toph as she stuck her tongue out at him in an attempt to get the last say, "That sounds good. Aang and Toph can go next and then maybe Haru and…"

"Oh no," Haru said as he shook his head, "I'm not fighting you guys. The Avatar and his freak-of-nature teachers can count me out of this one."

"Don't be such a pussy, Mustachio. You can go against me and see how a_ real_ earthbender plays." Toph jammed her fist into her hand, causing the ground under their feet to rumble in emphasis.

"Toph, be kind to our guests. If Haru wants to stay out of it, then so be it." From behind him, Zuko could practically feel Toph roll her glassy eyes, "And I know for a fact Jin won't be participating."

The girl at Haru's side looked startled for a moment at suddenly being brought into the conversation. But she too shook her head and gave an apologetic smile, "Of course not, my Lord. But, maybe a Pai Sho game later on?"

Zuko tried not to chuckle at what he had a feeling was Jin's more-than-a-little sarcastic formality, "Sounds great, but I'm afraid if you're looking for a challenging match, you'll be disappointed."

Zuko returned Jin's smile, making a mental note to get her alone and really catch up, "Then that just leaves Sokka and-"

"And me. I have dibs on you next, Fire Lord."

Zuko turned his head to see it was Suki who had spoken up, "You've got a nice collection of weapons over there. But I don't see any fans," the Kiyoshi warrior grinned as she reached inside here forest green kimono, extracting two fans of glinting golden metal, "Luckily, I never leave home without my own."

"It would be my pleasure," Zuko responded with an easy smile, "To give you a rematch."

"Good. Then you wouldn't mind giving me one as well would you?" Sokka asked as he rejoined their makeshift circle with a strightsword in hand. He gave the sword a twirling flourish and grinned, "Twenty-first birthday, twenty one beat downs. Plus I still owe you for that foot to my face. You have a talent for first impressions."

Again, Zuko smiled. And as he was about to accept Sokka's offer, Toph spoke up, "Sorry Ponytail. But none of you have the slightest chance at beating ol' Sparky here. Just watch. After he's done with Katara, you won't be so eager for a match."

At Toph's words, everyone's gazed turned to Zuko, who had become visibly uncomfortable under their skeptical stares. But the young Fire Lord remained silent, only giving a shrug and motioning for Katara to step into the ring. As he followed her in, the little earthbender behind him called out.

"Don't go easy on her, Sunshine!"

"Forget that, bend his ass into pieces, Katara!" Sokka shouted after his sister as he and Suki joined Toph, Aang, Jin, and Haru at the side of the ring. While they waited for both the combatants to warm up in their own respective way, Suki moved over to nudge Toph in the arm.

"You sure seem confident in Zuko, Toph." The warrior said with a curious inflection in her tone.

The raven-haired bender beside her shrugged, "I should be. Practically made him what he is today myself. Just wait and see."

"Yeah yeah, you're always so cocky Toph. You forget, my sister was declared a master when she was still just a kid," Sokka chimed in.

As Toph focused, she could feel Zuko and Katara concentrate as they slipped into their bending stances. Katara's heartbeat was bounding and erratic, but Zuko's was even and rhythmic, and this brought a smile to her face, "No Sokka. It's you who's forgetting. It's been what, four or five years since you've seen him in action?"

Both the warriors beside Toph nodded before she continued, "I train and practice with Sunshine. Every. Single. Day. He is tutored by Fire sages in the _most advanced_ firebending forms and techniques. Every. Single. Day. He isn't the same old Grumpypants Princess Sparkbender. Both of you are in for a treat. You're about to see the Red Dragon of the Fire Nation, _Fire Lord_ Zuko in action."

Something about the tone of Toph's voice, the awe, the reverence, managed to send goosebumps over the two warrior's skin. They had both heard that term before; Red Dragon of the Fire Nation. It was the unofficial nickname of the newest Fire Lord. A name that, in the Earth Kingdom, was a symbol of propaganda and contempt. But here, in his homeland, the label was laced with pride and respect. It was a strange duality, and the way Toph spoke it made the Watertribesmen wonder exactly how much Toph had changed. Sokka once considered himself to know the brat pretty well, and hearing the World's Greatest Earthbender speak such praise about Zuko was a bizarre experience. And as he took his eyes off the cross-armed, smiling earthbender, he was just in time to see his sister draw water up into the air around her. The liquid hung there unnaturally for a moment, glinting in the sunlight as both benders starred each other down. And then, in an instant, both leapt into action.

It was a flurry of movement. The waterbender attacked first, sending a cautionary torrent of water toward her opponent. When it evaporated into steam before it even got close, a scowl took her face. Zuko had barely moved. And she hadn't even seen any fire. But somehow, her water had been dispersed in the blink of an eye.

Zuko relaxed his stance and tried not to smirk at the sour expression on Katara's face, "Try harder. You'll never get anywhere with that."

Katara only grunted in response before she drew more water form the barrels around her. She sent blasts at her firebending opponent in short bursts, intermingling icicles here and there. She was pleased as she managed to get Zuko moving. But he was now dodging her attacks and as water dropped all around him from the failed attempts of her bending, an idea struck her.

With a quick gesture and a shift of her ankles, she froze the water at Zuko's feet, locking him down in place. Not giving him any time, she sent more and more water crawling up his legs, freezing his body in incremental sections.

Zuko stilled and watched as the water crept up his lower body. It was interesting fighting a waterbender after so long, and he had to admit he was rather enjoying it. As more and more of his leg was frozen into place, he inhaled.

As her hold on the Fire Lord grew, so did Katara's confidence. Each moment saw more and more of him immobilized. But as her icy prison neared Zuko's waist, he released a blessing of fire from his mouth. The scorching breath did away with her ice, and the instant he was free, Zuko was already lunging at her.

Katara could only catch glimpses of him through the barrage of flames. Each time she tried to bend a defensive barrier, his fire sliced at the ice, liquefying it nearly as fast as she could raise the shield anew. Swipe after swipe cut through the thick ice like a hot knife through butter, leaving clean sections of ice cleaved away in bursts of steam. She was being forced back by the sheer heat, every burst made her retreat further simply from the pain on her exposed arms and face. But she managed to steady her feet under her and stand her ground as Zuko's attacks died away. When she dropped the icy wall protecting her, what met her eyes brought a nastolgic smile to her lips. She hadn't seen Zuko use that technique in many years.

Before her, he stood feet wide, stance stable, eyes clear, and fists clenched. And from those clenched fists shot a fire dagger, white hot and focused like a jet. It was so different from the sporatic loose flames in her first memories of the young prince Zuko. And as she watched the cone of concentrated fire distort the air around Zuko's arms in radiant heat, the reason why her barriers were so ineffective became clear to her. The Fire Lord's attacks were deadly simply in their intense heat they put out all around them.

Zuko opened his hands and dispersed the jet of fire as he relaxed his stance. The fire Lord tried not to let a frown show on his face as he examined Katara. The way he saw it there were only to possible scenarios right now. Either the waterbender was toying with him, or she had let her skills drop considerably since the war had ended. When she stood at his side against the would be Fire Lord Azula, she was his equal, if not better. But now, it almost saddened him. Zuko cleared his mind, reminding himself that the fist possibility was just as likely to be true. If that were the case, he wouldn't let her relax any longer. This would be over in an instant. He lunged forward, letting the air around him erupt in torrents of fire as he punched and kicked balst after blast at her.

The Fire Lord pushed on as the waterbender neared the edge of their ring. Every scorching attack was rapidly depleting her water supply. This fight was already over. And as he saw Katara's foot slip near the stone ledge that marked the edge sparring ground, he sunk low, breathed deep, and threw his fist forward just short of her forehead before he flicked his finger out with just enough force to make her loose balance and tumble off the ledge.

The brunette bender landed ungracefully on her bottom. And after opening her eyes from the wince of pain of the fall, she saw Zuko standing over her, still on the ledge of their ring smiling down at her, "I guess I'm really out of practice."

Zuko's smile shrank at her words, as his fears were confirmed, "Nah, it wasn't _that_ bad."

Katara scoffed, "Please. As Sokka would say; I just owned."

"You just got OWNED, Sis!"

The Fire Lord chuckled at Sokka's amazing timing and helped his defeated opponent to her feat as both warriors, Haru, Jin, and Toph joined them.

"I thought I told you not to go easy on her, Sparky! You're too soft." Toph stomped up to Zuko with a smile on her face and slugged him in the arm, "But I guess a win is a win. As for you Katara, that was pathetic. No offense."

"Yeah well, unlike you two, us normal people's lives don't revolve around bending twentyfour-seven."

Toph shrugged off her comment, "Obviously they should."

Aang wandered over as Zuko pulled Katara to her feet. Just outside of the circle crowding around the formerly dueling duo, he watched them; Zuko laughing at Toph's jabs at Katara's waterbending and Katara trying in vain defend her performance. Being the only other firebender present, he wasn't surprised when no one else commented on what just happened. Zuko had displayed an ability earlier he had never seen before. It only lasted for a moment, but Zuko had done away with her attacks with no visible flames. It was impressive enough to make Aang thin-

"It's time, Twinkle-Toes."

The Avatar broke free from his thoughts to find Toph suddenly before him, a crooked and more than a little threatening smirk across her mouth, "Oh, right, sorry."

Zuko heated the last of the moisture out of his pants as Aang and Toph scrambled onto the ring. The airbender began stretching, but Toph stood motionless with a thousand pace stare. He turned to his friends, remembering what was said right before he and Katara had stepped into the ring. It was always like this, even back in the day, "Care to take wagers?"

Haru laughed at the Fire Lord's words. Aang was the Avatar, the bridge to the Spirit World. And Toph, while possessed of impressive earthbending, simply was not, "It's an easy call. My money's on the Avatar winning."

Jin gave her braid a tug, also considering Zuko's words, "I agree."

Beside them, Sokka had to hold in his snicker. This wasn't a wager of who would be the victor. It was a bet on time; seconds as a matter of fact, "You guys have a lot to learn."

"I've had my suspicions since way back in the day that Toph is actually a monster running around in human skin," Suki added as she watched the blind earthbender stand perfectly still.

"Fourty-five seconds," Katara stated matter of factly.

Haru looked at her for a moment, unsure what she meant by such a random statement. But before he could ask, Zuko clarified, "Give him a little credit, Katara. I'm sure he can last for… a minute and a half."

Sokka rolled his eyes, "You're feeling generous or what?" The warrior gave Zuko a friendly elbow, "fifty-five."

Toph smiled as she listened to them speak in hushed tones about how well Aang would fair against her. Only Zuko probably realized she could hear them, seeing as how much faith he had put in the airbender, more than likely simply to screw with her. At that moment, Toph made a silent promise to prove them all wrong,

"Are you ready?" The raven-haired woman felt Aang pop up out of his stretch and nod, "Good. There is only one rule. You are ONLY allowed to earthbend. Everything else is fair-play."

Outside the ring, Jin began to wonder why everyone spoke so highly of this short little girl. She looked like she just barely was in to puberty. She was blind. And for all intents and purposes, very, very rude. But as she watched her raise a finger, declare she was going to attack because Aang never would, it all suddenly became _very_ clear. In an instant, the stone of the ring tore itself apart and began swarming through the air. Every tiny gesture she made sent a piece of the rubble rocketing at Aang. The young woman could feel the hair on her neck stand; in fear or awe she couldn't tell, but the more she watched, the more Jin was over come with the sensation that it would be a wise idea to take a few steps back.

Aang found himself panicking as he did his best to dodge all the stones flying at him. In between the ducking and weaving, the twisting and turning, the leaping and rolling, he somehow found the time to marvel at the raw amount of earth Toph was bending at once. It was nothing short of incredulous. The outside borders of their ring were reduced to nothingness as Toph tore them apart as ammunition for her assault. As a piece of former ring grazed his shoulder he found rocks weren't the only thing attacking him as anxiety set in. But in his mind, a memory of Toph's training flashed. _Stand your ground. Fight like an earthbender._

Toph was starting to become annoyed as Aang danced around her attacks like the pansy airbender he was. How many years had it been? And he was still acting like he was an earthbending newbie. He was still her pupil after all, and she was beginning to fear that any progress she had made with him was long gone. She stomped her foot to the ground and rose a particularly large boulder. With a swift strike she sent it careening off toward her target. Toph was expecting him to spin around it and she was ready to sink his ass into the ground anyway he moved. So when he stood still, hand outstretched, and stopped the boulder in its tracks, a grin spread across her lips.

"Good. Good!" Toph laughed and let all the fragments of destroyed ring fall out of the air, "Now we can begin for real."

Aang steeled himself as Toph sunk into an unfamiliar bending stance. He closed his eyes, trying to mimic his mentors earthbending sight. But before he could even settle and focus, the ground under his feet shifted violently to side, knocking him off balance just as a column of stone shot up into his chest. For what seemed like a life time, Aang flew through the air before he landed roughly on the floor a good distance away from the ring. The Avatar kept his eyes closed for a moment, trying to find what he suspected were more than a couple broken bones.

Toph hopped off the remains of the ring and turned towards her friends, "Time?"

Zuko smirked. Of course she had been listening to their conversation, "Thirty-nine seconds."

The raven-haired earthbender sighed, disappointed with herself, "Could have done better. He's like a little bug running around. So hard to squash."

Zuko shook his head as Toph trudged over to Aang, trying to convince him he was fine, "Sit still," the earthbender commanded her pupil before she crouched and brought her hand down in a smack to the top of the Avatar's head.

Aang's brow rose as Toph struck him. He had been expecting pain, admonishment, something. But he could feel the vibrations from the smack running down his body. It was like she was scanning him. And when a smile blew past his master's countenance, his thoughts were substantiated.

"Well, none of your bones are broken," Toph stood and gave a shrug, "So get up already."

Zuko made his way over just behind her as Toph popped Aang off of the stone floor scattered with the ruins of the arena with a casual display of earthbending. When he was stable on his feet, the young Avatar brought his hand to the back of his head and laughed gently.

"I guess that's why you're the master and I'm the pupil, Sifu Toph." Aang finished with a bow, which the earthbender returned in a muted fashion.

Zuko joined Toph's side, followed by the rest of the group. He turned towards Toph and nudged her in the arm, "I expect you and Aang to clean up this mess, Shortstuff."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the blind earthbender responded tiredly waving him off. "We'll get on it. Come on Twinkle-Toes, break time is over."

As Toph and her pupil set about remaking the stone ring they had razed, Zuko addressed the rest of his friends, "Okay everyone, baths have been drawn, breakfast has been made, and fresh clothes have been prepared for you. Feel free to explore the palace and the city beyond. The party starts after sun down, so you have some free time. Enjoy yourselves."

"And what is our gracious host going to be doing, hmm? It's not good manors to abandon your guests."

Zuko spun to see Katara with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling at him, "I have to meet with someone, I'm afraid."

"Oh come on Zuko, it's your birthday! We need to hang out, man." Sokka said as he threw his arm around the Fire Lord's shoulder, "Just think of it man. We'll get some drinks. Some music…" Sokka lowered his tone a bit and ducked closer to Zuko so the others couldn't hear as he whispered, "Maybe some nice Fire Nation ladies from the royal harem. There's totally a royal harem, right?"

Zuko had to bite his cheek to keep from snorting out in laughter. He wasn't quite sure if Sokka was being serious or not, and the Fire Lord wasn't sure how to break the news that there was no longer a royal harem. As he slipped out of Sokka's arm, he came face to face with Jin, "Hey Fire Lord, he's right. We've hardly seen you since we've been here. And you're the whole reason we're here in the first place."

Zuko looked down at Jin for a moment, and for a brief instant he was back in Ba Sing Se by the fire-lit fountain. She looked nearly exactly the same. Her hair was a bit longer, but it was like time had passed her by, and as she spoke he couldn't help but smile as he noticed those same dimples on her face, the same ones that had captivated him in a dingy little tea shop. The same ones that were there as she pretended to listen as he made a fool of himself, "Look, I want to catch up with you, I do. But I made a promise. Besides," the firebender turned to the rest of them, "Everyone's here for the week, right? We can hang out all we want and by the end of it you'll be sick of me."

"I'm already sick of you." Toph muttered over her shoulder as she bent the destroyed ring back into shape.

Everyone shot skeptical glances at Zuko and for a moment, the Fire Lord thought his friends might need more convincing, but soon Suki spoke up grabbing Sokka by the arm, "Alright we'll go. But you still owe me one, Zuko! Don't think I forgot. Tomorrow, it's on."

Zuko smiled as he watched the two warriors walking back into the palace walls. For some strange reason, being around those two always gave him an easy feeling. He was more than a bit envious at how lightly they took life.

"I guess we'll take off too then," Haru said with a shrug, "I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what a party thrown for Fire Nation royalty is like."

Zuko chuckled, "I think you might be a little disappointed. It's mostly formal dress, dry conversation and polite dining. But we'll get together after and-"

"And then the real party can start." Toph said as she joined Zuko, "Now get out of here Mustachio."

Once Jin and Haru had retreated, only Zuko, Toph, Katara, and Aang were left. And as the Avatar bent the last of the stone tiles back into place he hopped down to them.

"So what are you guys doing till tonight?" Aang asked the group.

"I think I'm gonna take not so sugary Sugar Queen here out to the city." Toph paused for a swift slap to Katara's butt, "Maybe I'll even buy you something pretty, babe."

Katara jumped in surprise before she rolled her eyes, "You're so clever, Leprechuan. But I accept."

Toph turned to Aang, "Wanna tag along Twinkletoes?"

At Toph's suggestion, Zuko noticed Aang's gaze flicker over Kartara for a moment, who had magically become engrossed with the clouds in the sky. The young Avatar sighed before declining Toph's offer, saying something about how he wanted to check on Appa and just like that, in a quick blast of wind he was off and up over the palace wall.

Zuko mimicked the disappeared airbender's sigh, "Smooth Toph. You know they are having trouble."

"How does she know that, exactly?" The waterbender asked suspiciously.

"Forget about that," Toph said waving off Katara's inquiry, "if Twinklebitchtoes wants to run away instead of trying to fix things, let him."

Katara was about to speak up in response when Toph started again, "More importantly, are you going to see who I think you're going to see, Sparky?"

"Yes, Toph, I am. And I'm doing it alone. And I don't want to hear about it from you." Zuko tried to use his authorative Fire Lord tone, but it never seemed to come out all that impressive when used on Toph.

"Oh, no. No," the petite raven haired young woman stomped her foot down, "I won't allow you to see her. Not by yourself. I'm responsible for your wellbeing, and it's too dangerous. We already visited her anyway. Once a week is enough."

"It is not." Zuko said simply, crossing his arms in defiance. He was the most powerful man in this country and he hated how Toph always managed to find a way to make him feel so childish. "I don't take orders from you,_ subject_. You take them from me."

Katara, caught literally in the middle of her two bickering friends, was torn between her curiosity about this mystery woman who Toph was unwilling to leave Zuko alone with and her desire to laugh right at their faces. Since she had arrived at the palace, she had been with Toph and Zuko twice. And both times they had broken out in miniature arguments like it was as natural as breathing. Their squabbling, as Katara saw it, was either a habit risen from two people who knew each other way too well, or some very deeply seeded sexual tension. But as she watched Toph jump up and grab Zuko around the neck, dragging him down into a headlock which she then used as leverage as she jammed her knuckles into the spot right above the Fire Lord's topknot, she was quite sure it was a bit of both.

Stifling her laughter in favor of a grin, Katara cleared her throat in a gentle reminder that she was, after all, still present. When Toph stopped punching Zuko on the skull, and Zuko looked up at her through the headlock, she took it as her queue to interrupt, "So…Who is this woman?"

Toph pushed Zuko away from her and patted her clothes down like the firebender was actually the one who had gotten _her_ dirty, "There's that famous nosiness. That's more like it. _Mom._"

Zuko growled and tried to smooth the strands of hair that had come loose from his topknot, "I promised her I'd come Toph. I want her to trust me." The Fire Lord turned towards Katara, "And I'm talking about-"

"A four hundred foot tall purple platypus-bear." Toph supplied callously.

Katara looked at Toph for a moment, confused until something clicked, "You don't mean…"

"Yes," Zuko confirmed with a nod and a sigh, "My dear sister, Azula."

* * *

><p>And there you have it. Before anybody asks, yes Azula will be in the story. Oh and good news everyone, the good stuff starts hapening in a chapter or two. Hooray. Anyway, that was chapter 3. If you read it, you must review it. Thems da rulez.<p>

Peace be with you. And with you.


	4. I Against I

A Few Notes;

~This chapter is dedicated to a good cause. Namely, feeding the hungry. Enjoy Carml.

~I wrote this chapter a long ass time ago and, to be honest, I have forgotten what's going on lol. *shrug* Let me know how it is and errors and blah blah blah.

~Yet again (this is like the third time), I forgot to put a disclaimer in to a fic. So here it is, the one and only time I'm saying it. I, NonFiction, own nothing in this fic and earn nothing from it. So shove it.

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><p>Chapter 4: I Against I<p>

* * *

><p>"So what do you want to do?"<p>

Katara was snapped back into reality as Toph elbowed her in the ribs. She had been thinking about Zuko and Azula. The last time she had seen the would be Fire Lord, she was in what would be a sad state, if Katara wasn't certain the woman didn't have a shred of actual human emotion in her. But despite that, Zuko remained at the very least a decent older brother. And even though Katara knew for a fact that the Fire Lord thought his sister was "a monster," he somehow still was still trying to repair their relationship.

"I don't know," Katara said as she focused, trying to play off her thoughts. They had been walking around the Royal City, trying to pass the time until the party, "I am a guest after all, maybe I should get Zuko something for his birthday."

Toph scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. What do you get someone who already has everything?"

"So then what are you giving him?" Katara replied, letting her tone slip into a more mischievous domain.

The petite earthbender's mind flashed to her conversation with Zuko the previous afternoon, and a gentle grin materialized on her face, "Isn't it obvious? The gift of my presence. Best gift there is." Toph said, blowing the bangs out of her face.

The waterbender smiled at Toph's very Toph-like answer and wondered briefly if that was truly all she was getting Zuko. They wandered through the streets of the city, and everywhere they went, people were bowing to the little earthbender left and right. Toph smiled sometimes in acknowledgement but otherwise was unphased, which left Katara with the impression that this was a very common and normal occurrence.

"You're pretty popular here for being a stranger in a strange land." Katara noted as they passed a cabbage vendor waving his produce in every would-be costumer's face as they passed.

Toph smiled. It was easy to forget, now that they were all back together, that none of them really knew anything about what she and Zuko had done in the years passed, "This land might be strange, but I'm no stranger. I'm the Fire Lord's right hand lady, his personal bodyguard, head of the Palace Guard, and officially speaking, have a general's rank in the Military. But I never use that one. Zuko would try to make me attend meetings."

"That sounds like total overkill," Katara remarked with mild surprise at Toph's plethora of titles, "You must have a lot of responsibility."

"Actually," Toph replied, "Everything basically boils down to one thing. It's my job to keep Zuko safe." Another group of passersby bowed to Toph before continuing on their way, "And every single person in this city knows that I will not hesitate to tear them limb from limb to ensure that."

Something in Toph's tone was so serious, so matter-of-factly, maybe it was the fact that she called the firebender by name but it made Katara pause mid step. If it were anyone other than her that had spoken those words, she would have passed them off as exaggeration. But she knew Toph was being dead serious and would not put it past her to literally tear someone's arm off, "Zuko must mean a whole lot to you."

Toph didn't stop walking, even though she felt Katara give pause, "He's all I have. I guess."

That simple statement was enough to make the waterbender stare at her friend in shock. It was very unlike her to say something so mushy. Katara rejoined Toph's side as they pushed on through the crowds and entered into a crowded market, "To be honest, I was surprised to see how close you two are. Not what I was expecting at all. But I like it. It's kind of cute."

It was now Toph's turn to stop in her tracks. And as she spun around and thrust a finer up into Katara's face she made sure to make her tone as menacing as possible, "You're entering into dangerous waters, Sugar."

"You know, reacting like that just confirms my suspicions." Katara said as she stared somewhat cross-eyed at Toph's finger.

Toph groaned, disappointed with herself for being so easy to read. Katara had been in the country for less than twenty-four hours, and already she had picked up on her 'Zuko problem.' And Toph knew that she had just all but shouted out her feelings toward Zuko were slightly more than platonic. Which was slightly more than annoying, and she didn't bother responding as she dropped her finger and continued on walking once again. She was well aware exactly how close she had become to the Fire Lord, and if she were to be honest with herself, it scared the hell out of her. Both emotions were entirely new territory. Their relationship had entered an awkward phase in which they were simultaneously just friends and something a lot more. She had not just grown accustomed to his presence; she had become dependent on it. There was never a time when she was not aware of his location. If they weren't in the same room, then she was constantly searching out his vibrations through the earth under her toes.

At first she tried to justify it as just doing her duty. It was her job to know where Zuko was and protect him, after all. But being the human lie detector that she was, she was acutely aware when someone was being untruthful. Even if they were lying to themselves. Even if that someone was her. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she and Zuko had become closer and closer until the only step left was now to-

"So are we just not going to talk or what?"

Toph's thoughts halted as Katara's voice broke her concentration. However, she didn't regret it. She had given the subject plenty of thought already. "And what do you want me to say? I'm secretly in love with Zuko and I can't wait to run back to the palace and jump into his arms?"

Katara snickered at her friend's choice of words, "Hey, you said it, not me."

Toph groaned again, "Shut up already, woman."

"So…" the waterbender started, curious how far she could push Toph without getting sunk into the ground, "Between us, is that a yes?"

"Yes what?" Top spat out irritated.

Katara rolled her eyes, "There's something going on with you and our esteemed Fire Lord, right?"

"Wrong."

"Oh come on, Toph."

* * *

><p>As soon as the she set foot within the palace grounds, Toph stomped down, sending vibrations through the stone beneath her toes. As her senses were assaulted with tactile feedback, she did her best to sort through the various footsteps and heartbeats to locate Zuko. There were a lot of people in the palace, more than usual, in fact. But she found Zuko right where she expected him to be. And thankfully, as far as she could tell, he was alone, probably not wanting to be bothered by any bureaucratic nonsense on his birthday, she figured.<p>

Katara watched as Toph stilled for a moment, when suddenly a smile spread across her face. She looked delighted at something, "What's up, Toph?"

The earthbender was already walking briskly towards the main gate, "He's already back."

Katara chased her friend through the twists and turns of the palace corridors. Toph was moving at quite a few steps above her normal lazily relaxed pace, and even though she was taller, Katara found herself quickening her stride to keep up. When the earthbender reached the heavy metal doors of the throne room she came to a halt and threw them open with enough force and ease to make Katara assume that more that a little casual metalbending was involved.

"How'd it go?" the earthbender asked as she made her way towards Zuko's throne. As she got nearer, she could tell something was different with the Fire Lord. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. But when Zuko's voice met her ears, there was no possible way she could mistake it.

"She wished me a happy birthday, Toph."

Somehow, his voice made Toph melt. It was overflowing with something she rarely heard from Zuko, tranquility. She smiled as she reached the steps up to the firepit. Toph knew the Fire Lord very well, and knew how much it meant to him for his sister to say those simple words. In essence, she knew all Zuko really wanted was a loving, normal family. Granted, she and Iroh had tried to fill the gap, but Toph knew all too well the toll the day of Sozin's Comet took on Zuko. Having to confine his sister and father, deserving though they were, to a cell for the rest of their lives was very hard on him. Not long after he was coronated, Zuko had told her he almost regretted not having them executed. They were monsters, he had told her. Proud and powerful monsters. The type of monsters that deserved an execution, not rotting away to nothing in a dingy prison. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't have them killed.

Since then, Toph had stood behind Zuko as he made his decision to repair his relationship with his sister. And though she voiced her concerns, she was grateful that at least Zuko didn't have the delusion of trying to make nice with his father. But what she thought was delusional slowly became a reality.

It became a weekly ritual to walk, much to Zuko's dismay and the Palace Guard's strong protests, to the coastland facility that housed his sister's cell. Over time, she listened as Azula's reactions to their presence transformed from the initial feral spitting and scratching attempts to sane, semi-civil conversations. As more and more years passed by, their weekly visitations never ceasing, Toph sat amazed as she witnessed a change in Azula that she would never have believed if she hadn't been there. Eventually, Azula's words became docile. And though her speech never lost its biting, and insulting in Toph's opinion, inflection, there was an unmistakably affectionate undertone. Zuko and his sister spoke _almost_ as normally as any other set of siblings, and more than once, Toph had been drawn into the conversation. Sometimes she would sit and listen as Azula told her stories about their childhood, with Zuko occasionally chiming in, usually to contest something. And if she were honest with herself, she never heard Zuko's voice so lit up as when they had a good session with Azula. And that simple fact made her happy.

But there was always a part of her that was weary. Even if Zuko was quick to forgive and forget, she was not. Toph still recalled the ease and the completeness with which Azula lied. It was unsettling for the earthbender, as she relied on her ability to detect truthfulness in her everyday interactions with people. And though she had grown accustomed to being around the former princess, she never left behind her suspicions that Azula was still playing them all, just waiting for the most opportune moment to strike.

Even so, the effect she had on Zuko was undeniable. And for that at least, Toph was grateful. She put her hand on the Fire Lord's shoulder, "I'm glad, Zuko."

The Fire Lord covered the hand on his shoulder with his own, "Me too."

Katara watched her two friends with a sad sort of happiness. The very notion of the thought was contradictory, like most of her life had seemed as of late. Toph and Zuko were, quite simply, in love. And she had the sneaking suspicion that they both knew it well. How could they not when it would be quite obvious to any random passerby? The way Zuko looked at Toph was intense, like they were all that existed. It gave Katara the feeling that she could light them both on fire at this very moment and neither of them would be any the wiser. As the realization registered, she suddenly was overcome with the feeling of being a very nearly invisible third wheel. So, as casually as she could, she exited the throne room. Whether it was to give them some privacy, or to quell the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, she had yet to decide.

"There she goes," Toph said as she freed her hand from Zuko's and took a seat on the arm of his throne, "She wouldn't stop bugging me about you the whole time we were out. She's convinced we're in love or something. She's crazy."

"Very crazy," Zuko confirmed with a nod.

"And annoying," Toph added, blowing the hair out of her face and resting her back against the Fire Lord's shoulder.

"Extremely annoying," Zuko agreed again.

Toph sighed, "Lets just stop hanging out with her."

The exasperation in Toph's voice made Zuko chuckle quietly. No matter how annoyed the earthbender was with Katara, they had too strong of a friendship. And Zuko knew well that Toph was just venting, "If it makes you feel any better, I was pestered about you the whole time you were out too."

This perked Toph up with interest, "Aww, Zula gave you an earful huh?"

"You know she hates you calling her that," Zuko reminded the girl leaning against him.

"No one gets out of the nicknames. She should be glad I adopted yours instead of sticking with the original PsychoBitch," Toph felt Zuko rumble with muted laughter and she smiled to herself before she continued, "So what did sister dearest have to say?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure you want to know."

* * *

><p>"You know, I gotta say, hanging around in a palace, being pampered by servants and all, yeah not really what I was expecting," Sokka leaned back, resting his head against the couch and took a deep breath, "BORING!"<p>

Haru shifted his gaze away from Jin as she held up yet another dress. She had been trying on kimonos for the party nearly the entire morning, but somehow he wasn't sick of it yet. As he looked at Sokka out of the corner of his eye, he shrugged, "I don't know, beats my place in Ba Sing Se."

"Everything beats your place in Ba Sing Se. It smells," Jin replied dully as she twirled in front of a mirror in examination of herself.

"Hah, she got you, Mustachio." Sokka laughed as Jin gave him a wink.

The earthbender grunted in mild annoyance, "I wish you guys would stop calling me that. I haven't had a mustache in-"

"A week," Jin interrupted as she plopped down onto the sofa between Sokka and Haru, "He shaved it a right before you guys picked us up."

Sokka looked at the pair, Jin giggling and Haru frowning, just a moment before bursting out in unbridled laughter. After a moment, he threw an arm around Jin's shoulder in something akin to a headlock, grinning as an even more intense grimace spread across Haru's face, "Jin, we are officially hanging out more. You're awesome."

At that moment, Suki reentered the common room Zuko had provided them from the bathroom she and Jin were using to try on outfits, "How do I look?"

Sokka snapped into attention as he took in the woman in front of him. Suki was in a pale brown kimono with a red maple leaf pattern and a yellow sash. She had her hair done up in what the warrior could only guess was some sort of high society Fire Nation style. There were strands of her auburn locks falling loose, and it gave her a sort of dishelved, flustered look. Which did nothing but bring a smile to his face. Even if she got sick of hearing it, he never let a chance pass him by to remind her how beautiful she was. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he grinned at her, "You look gorgeous, babe."

Suki laughed a little at the dopey smile on her boyfriend's face, "Oh yeah? Flattery isn't gonna help you get any."

Sokka leaned forward a little more, letting a devilish grin take his face as he examined Suki, "Who says I need any help?"

At that, Haru cleared his throat, "Not that I'm disinterested in you love life," after an elbow in the ribs from Jin he continued, "But I would like something to eat. Anyone hungry?"

"I could eat," Sokka volunteered as he stood up and wrapped an arm around Suki's waist. Which only made her role her eyes.

"How surprising," said the Kiyoshi warrior.

"Actually, I'm kind of hungry too," Jin answered after popping up off the couch, "Why don't we go find the kitchen in this place?"

"Sounds good to me," Suki agreed as she shimmied out of Sokka grasp and grabbed Jin by the hand, "Let's change first and then we'll go."

Haru shook his head in amusement, "Women."

After Suki and Jin exited in more casual and comfortable clothing, the foursome wandered out into the palace in what they had come to the consensus was the general direction of the kitchen. As they roamed, idle chitchat passed the time and kept their minds off the increasingly bothersome hunger pangs. Suki listened as everyone related the trivial aspects of their lives since they parted ways. It was a little surprising, but the four of them were getting along very well. And as she watched her boyfriend loop Jin and Haru each under an arm and begin conversing somewhat animatedly with them, she couldn't help but feel a little lighthearted.

After a short while, a few gruff looking firebenders pointed them towards the kitchen most affably. Which made Suki smile. Everyone was in such a good mood. She began to wonder if it had anything to do with today being Zuko's birthday. She had heard a lot of rumors that there was a great deal of unrest in the Fire Nation, that a large number of citizens were displeased with Zuko's rule. The Red Dragon of the Fire Nation, as he was dubbed by the world, was the center of a lot of conflict. She had even heard that off of the main land, dissenters had risen up in rebellion, the vast majority of which were former Ozai supporters. But here, in the palace, everything was genuinely tranquil.

"Hey, you're falling behind, babe."

Suki snapped into attention to find Sokka looking at her with a cocked eyebrow and a crooked smirk.

"Sorry," the Kiyoshi warrior admitted as she rejoined Sokka's side, "Guess I was lost in thought?"

Sokka's smirk transformed itself into an authentic smile at the upward inflection in his girlfriend's voice, "Oh yeah? Whatcha thinking about, hmm?"

Suki glanced at the Water Tribesman out of the corner of her eye and mimicked his favorite gesture by throwing out an arm around his neck and drawing him in closer so she could speak right in his ear, "Zuko."

Arching his eyebrows in feigned hurt, Sokka shied away from Suki, "Should I be jealous?"

"Hmm…" Suki glanced ahead to see Haru and Jin had already entered the kitchen, so deciding to have a little fun at Sokka's expense, she spun on her heel to face him, "Well, he's a king. Taller then you. A better fighter than you. _Oh_ so much more handsome than you. So… Maybe you should be, yeah."

"You know, when you say things like that, it really hurts my feelings," Sokka huffed and crossed his arms.

Suki smirked and slipped into his arms, truly appreciative of how easy going they were able to be around each other, "Aww I didn't know my big manly man even had feelings. I'm _so_ sorry."

"Ah I see. Zuko is more handsome, a better fighter, taller, and royalty, but you stick with me because I have that manly allure." Sokka released his arms and turned to stretch, discreetly flexing his muscles in the process, "Yeah I gotta admit, I am the epitome of masculinity. No doubt about it."

From behind him, Suki rolled her eyes as he rose his arms in another display of his 'masculinity,' "Yeah, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ponytail," the Kiyoshi warrior grabbed his wolftail and gave it a playful tug, knocking him off balance, "Now lets go. I'm still hungry."

Sokka laced his fingers in between Suki's as he took her hand and started into the kitchen. It was, unsurprisingly, very fancy. As a man who had grown up in the South Pole, he was used to cutting into raw seal-whale meat with nothing but bone knives and the dutiful edge of his boomerang. Therefore, in contrast, what was laid out before him became all the more impressive. Many of the surfaces were made out of some sort of brushed metal and topped in polished wood. There were several table laid out somewhat sporadically by a counter that hid the back of the kitchen from view. All in all, it was somewhat small, and in occurred to the warrior that this was indeed a _kitchen_ and not a dining room. The tables were more likely for the staff then for anyone actually wanting a meal.

But what really caught his eye wasn't any of the features of the kitchen, but two people sitting at one of the tables tucked quietly in the corner. Aang and Katara sat across from each other and seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. They hadn't even noticed them yet.

"Look at that."

Sokka felt Suki nudge him in the arm, "Yeah I can see."

"Maybe we should give them some space? They could use it." Suki looked around, finding that Jin and Haru had already come to the same conclusion and had quietly slipped out.

Sokka felt a tugging on his arm and realized Suki was pulling him back in the direction they came from. Throwing one more glance over his shoulder as he allowed himself to be hauled away, he could only hope those two settled whatever it was between them. It was getting annoying.

* * *

><p>Okay done. This chapter was shorter, but it had a little bit of everything. There was hints at the plot (omg i no ther actuly is 1? wat?), there was some fluff, okay no violence, but violence will take the spot light soon enough. Also, I guess I forgot how much I wrote, so that 1 or 2 chapter till the good stuff I told you about last chapter was wrong. It's more like 1 or 2 from this point on, but whatever.<p>

Read and Review. Or I will find you and punch you in the throat while you sleep.


	5. At War with the World

A Few Notes

~Yeah there was a big delay. So what, wanna fight about it? No seriously tho, if you have a problem, send me your address and I'll give you directions to my ass so you can kiss it.

~Also, my attempt and proof reading was only quarter-assed (yeah, less then half-assed), so if mistakes are abound, dodge 'em like land-mines.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: At War with the World<p>

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry I skipped out on you and Toph this morning, too."<p>

Katara shifted her gaze back toward the Avatar, her chin resting in her hand as she leaned her elbow on the table they shared. She had been sitting there, just like that, since she had made her exit from Zuko and Toph. It was a complete coincidence they had run into each other and she had come to the kitchen on nothing more than a whim. Now as she sat listening to Aang apologize for this and that, she regretted that whim quite a bit. Aang was just not a person she particularly wanted to be around at the moment.

"No need to apologize to me, I didn't ask you to come with us," Another short-tempered response. Katara let out a sigh. She wasn't exactly doing it on purpose. And he hadn't _really_ done anything to deserve the cold shoulder she was giving him, but all her words came out with that same bothered inflection that all but screamed she really would rather be somewhere, anywhere else.

"That's true, I guess," Aang put his hand to the back of his head in a nervous gesture, one he hated making but had a hard time controlling. Dealing with girls had never been one of his strong points. And as yet another spell of awkward silence dropped around them, he found himself lacking for words that could convey what he meant.

Katara scooted her chair back from the table, "Well if you're done, I'm gonna go."

"Wait."

The waterbender let loose another sigh as she fell back into the chair. It wasn't like she had to. It had occurred to her more than once as she listened to Aang talk that there was nothing that obligated her to stay. But every time he protested her attempts to leave, she found herself giving in and staying put.

"Look," the airbender started, already shaky, "I know you're not happy with me. I know I can't just snap my fingers and say sorry and things will go back to the way they were before, but-"

"You're right about that," Katara interrupted dryly.

"BUT," Aang continued, "I thought we had something. I mean… we still have something don't we? Something that's worth more than holding a grudge."

"A grudge?" Katara could feel herself becoming irritated. He just kept saying the wrong things, "I'm not holding a grudge. And you're right, you know. We _did_ have something. But when you disappear for a couple years at a time without so much as even sending a message, it kind of changes things, Aang. In case that wasn't obvious to you."

"I realize that," the Avatar reached his hand out, but the waterbender drew away, "You have to realize how much I regret not being there with you every moment I could."

"Apparently not enough to swing by and let me know that you're even still alive, it would seem." Katara crossed her arms defensively.

"Please," Aang said quietly, "Understand that there are things that I have to put before my own personal happiness."

Katara looked up at Aang furious, ready to unload on him. But the expression on his face was disarming. His eyes looked wounded, almost miserable. He suddenly seemed just this side of being broken. So Katara quieted herself to match, "I do understand. But what about my happiness, Aang? Did you ever even consider how I would be effected by you dropping off the face of the planet?"

Aang reached out again, this time succeeding in taking Katara's hand in his own, "I'm so sorry Katara…"

His hands were warm, and a lot bigger than she remembered. She was a long way from forgiving and forgetting, but as he clasped her hands, tighter than necessary, like he was afraid to let go again, Katara felt the last bit of her resistance towards him slip away. In its wake it left a void. She had spent so much time making herself bitter and resentful that when those feelings vanished, she wasn't quite sure what to think. Only one thing was certain, she missed him.

"Where did you go, Aang?"

The Avatar sighed but remained otherwise silent for a moment. How could he possibly explain what he had experienced? Aang gave Katara's hand a quick, gentle squeeze. Her voice broke when she had asked that question, and he suspected she may be on the verge of tears, angry or otherwise.

"I suppose you, above all others, deserve to know the truth."

* * *

><p>"I suppose we still have a lot of time left, don't we?"<p>

Zuko removed his eyes from the tree they had been fixed on and pointed his gaze up towards the sky. When he saw the position of the sun, he let out a groan. As usual, Toph's intuition was correct, "Yeah, it looks like we're only a couple of hours past midday. Why is this day going _so_ slow?"

Toph smiled as Zuko's words droned out. They had walked out into the garden ring, determined to pass the time somehow. In all likelihood, she figured they would end up having their usual bout of a few less than friendly matches. But as they reached ringside, they collapsed down onto the raised platform of the arena, back to back and hadn't moved from the spot since.

"It's just your imagination. Or," Toph smirked and leaned her head back onto Zuko's shoulder, "Maybe princess is nervous about the big fancy party tonight?"

"Hah," Zuko scoffed at the little earthbender's insinuation, "If anyone is nervous, it's going to be you. Or did you forget the stakes of our little bet?"

Toph felt her brow furrow as the Fire Lord's words met her ears. His tone was nasty, in a mischievous, diabolical sort of fashion. It was a rarity for her to hear that kind of voice from Zuko, and she found herself running through her mind trying to figure out what he could be talking about. After a moment, the memory hit her full force.

A few weeks ago, she and Zuko decided to spice one of their regular bending sessions up with a wager on the victor of the round. If Toph won, a week of foot massages, no matter how dirty and crusty her feet were. If Zuko won, a week of Toph bathing regularly and dressing appropriately. Long story short, Toph found herself pinned, seething in barely contained fury as Zuko's throaty laughter rumbled on top of her.

The earthbender smirked as the memory faded, "You're going to cash in on that _now_?"

"Of course," Zuko replied happily, "Seems like the perfect time. We have guests for the week _and_ there's the party tonight. In fact," Zuko turned his head to the right so he could see Toph in the peripheral vision of his good eye, "Since you have to dress appropriately, I think I'm going to get someone bathe and clothe you for tonight. Lin will do nicely."

"Ugh… You must be intent on torturing me," Toph let out a whine, hoping to appeal to Zuko's humanity, "It's indecent! Cruel and unusual punishment!"

"No complaining, subject," Zuko drew himself up off of the ring floor and reached down to grab Toph by the shoulders.

Toph fought to not let out an angry roar and embarrass herself further as she felt Zuko suddenly yank her up onto her feet, "What are you doing, Sparky?"

The Fire Lord released his grip on Toph and smiled down at her, "It's an arduous task preparing a lady of the court for a formal gathering. For Lin to do her job properly, she will need time," Zuko replaced his hands on the earthbender's shoulders and spun her around to face the palace, "So, go get ready."

Toph felt Zuko give her a little shove off. She wanted to turn around and shove a rock up his ass. She wanted to find Lin and kill her, just to make sure nothing like this could ever happen again in the future. But sometimes, your word is all you have. So Toph bit her lip swallowed her pride, "You know this is ostrich-horse shit, Sparky. And I will find a way to get you back. Tenfold."

The firebender stifled his laughter at Toph's frustrated threats, "How about you just consider it a birthday present for me."

"Fine," Toph agreed begrudgingly as she turned her back to him, "But I expect something in return. I don't know what it is yet. But I expect it."

Zuko found himself grinning as Toph stomped away. And just as she left his sight, disappearing into the halls of the palace, he felt a breeze swirl up around him, ruffling his hair and clothes.

"Hello, Aang," Zuko turned around to find the Avatar standing ringside, and immediately, he noticed something very different about Aang. The entire energy around him had changed, "You seem like you're in a good mood."

Aang tried to put on a serious face, irked that he was so easily read, "You noticed that already huh? And you knew I was here so fast. Am I missing something, because the Zuko I remember wasn't so…shall we say perceptive?"

The Fire Lord shrugged as Aang swirled his hand in the air searching for the right word, "Airbending is pretty distinctive. And it's not like anyone else is doing it around here, so I thought you were the safe bet," Zuko grinned as Aang popped himself onto the ring with a burst of air, "As for how I knew you were in a good mood, well, that's a longer story. Suffice to say the look on your face was enough."

Aang returned his friend's smile and let loose a small laugh, "Is that right? Well, anyway, I was wondering if you're up for a firebending lesson. You know, for old time's sake, Sifu Hotman."

Zuko cocked his good eyebrow at Aang in a show of skepticism. If there was any chance he had been mistaken about the airbender's better mood, it had just flown out the window, "If you're doing the teaching maybe, Avatar. I'm sure all the mysteries of bending have been revealed to you by now."

Aang smiled at the sarcasm in the last part of Zuko's statement, "Not at all. As you saw this morning, it seems my teachers can still best me with their own respective styles. It was actually pretty humbling."

"That was just Toph. You can't really compare my firebending with her earthbending. She's literally the best earthbender alive." Zuko paused, giving thought to what he just so easily admitted. While it was true, if Toph were around to hear it, the words would never have left his mouth.

Aang raised his hand in an attempt to stop what could turn into a Zuko-pity-party, "Don't sell yourself short. Toph doesn't hesitate to call you a master. And coming from her, that's pretty impressive."

Zuko thought for a moment, considering Aang's proposal. It was surprising to hear, even if it was second hand, that Toph had said such a thing about him. It was probably the same caliber of statement that he had just made about her; something she was just unwilling to say to his face. Zuko looked at Aang. He was keeping his face quite neutral, and yet there was an air of expectation around him. Somehow, the idea of rejecting his former enemy turned pupil seemed wrong. So the Fire Lord shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

"Alright, why not."

Aang let a smile grace his face. He had really been expecting Zuko to shut the idea down, "Awesome. So, what do you wanna do? Hot squats? Fire ball? No wait let me guess, a match, right?"

Zuko avoided the urge to roll his eyes at the airbender's eagerness, and recalled his words from earlier that morning, "How about we start with a little peaceful meditation."

Aang almost had to step back, half in shock and half expecting an attack. Back in the day, Zuko would have launched at him spewing flames, and that would be his only signal that training had began. So when his firebending mentor suggested such a seemingly out of character opening to their session, Aang was already on guard. But as he saw Zuko face the sun, sink down in a kneeling position, close his eyes, and fold his feet under him in the usual firebending meditation posture, it occurred to him his request was genuine. So Aang too sank down and mimicked Zuko's position.

Silence fell as Zuko heard Aang sit next to him. For a long while, he remained quiet, his mind in a tranquil state of emptiness as the Sun's rays washed over his face. The heat was invigorating as it penetrated his skin, and slowly Zuko began to lose track of time. When he opened his eyes again, the sun had sunk in the sky. The Fire Lord turned his head toward Aang to find him still sitting quietly, a sort of half smile splayed across his face. Zuko let the same smile spread to him as well. It was odd to have a partner who could actually sit and reflect with him. When he tried it with Toph, she always got so ancy and impatient, and their meditation never lasted long. But the more he thought about it, the less strange it seemed. Aang was the Avatar after all, and an airbender by nature. And airbending and firebending were conceptually linked, so it was fitting.

"Aang, are you ready to begin?" Zuko watched as Aang slowly opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the failing light of dusk.

"Yes," Aang replied simply as he motioned to get up. But as Zuko rose his had, he immediately stopped. There was something suddenly commanding about the firebender, and Aang found himself submitting with a smile. It seemed with a few years as Fire Lord under his belt, Zuko had a much more severe presence when he wanted.

"You may remain seated," even Zuko was surprised to hear the authority in his voice, "Our training today will take the form of a conversation."

Aang nodded, trying not to show his surprise again at how unorthodox his firebending master was becoming. He was starting to sound more like Iroh than Zuko, "Understood."

At Zuko's silence, the Avatar took it upon himself to initiate their conversation, "I may be reading too far into things, but you seem pretty different. You're whole style is just… different, and the bending you used against Katara earlier… I don't think the others realized how impressive it was."

It was Zuko's turn to nod, "I guess I'm not the only perceptive one," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "If I seem different, it's probably due to the… experiments Toph and I have been working on in our free time."

_Experiments?_ The image in Aangs head was something like Toph and Zuko surrounded by numerous bubbling glass beakers and smoking tubes of mysterious and florescent liquids, "I'm not sure I know what you mean, could you elaborate?"

"Toph and I have been dabbling in the more…esoteric, theoretical arts of bending. Things that reside more in obscurity than anywhere else," The words coming out of his mouth seemed strange, almost unfitting. But they were the best he could do, putting the things they had done into words were a bit difficult.

Aang felt lost again, "Sorry, but I have no idea what you're getting at."

"What is fire?"

Aang, again, tried not to let the surprise show on his face. The question caught him off guard. But after a moment, his mind flashed to the little 'fieldtrip' he and Zuko had went on, and the answer became obvious, "Fire is life. Fire is energy and creation."

The Fire Lord smiled, pleased, "That's right, Aang. And what are you and I?"

Aang thought for a moment on what they had in common, "We're firebenders."

"Correct. If we bend fire, and fire is life, than wouldn't it be appropriate to say that we also bend life?"

When Zuko finished, the airbender began to see what he meant by 'esoteric.' "I always thought that was just a metaphor, you know, for the real nature of firebending not being driven by rage and all that."

"It is what you say," Zuko conceded. Up until not to long ago, he had assumed the same, "But, while you can view the notion figuratively, there is an unquestionable literal truth behind it as well."

Aang resisted the urge to bring his hand to the back of his head and smile in confusion, "Uhhm, how so?"

The firebender stayed quiet considering how much of what he'd seen and done to tell Aang. Most of it he wasn't even sure of himself. Most of it, he really wanted to speak to his uncle about. Under the palace, in the library his ancestors hid their most guarded and sacred documents, he found archaic scrolls documenting various subjects. Ancient legends. Resurrecting the dead. Ancient Sun Warrior tribe firebenders who were said to be so adept at firebending, so in tune with life they ascended to the spirit realm, becoming nature spirits. Iroh would know about all of this. But he was always busy with his teashop in Ba Sing Se, so Zuko never had the chance to sit down with him and ask these questions. And now, as Aang sat before him, eyes wide and questioning, he felt suddenly inadequate to even try to explain things he himself had so little knowledge on. After all, his one and only student was the Avatar. The bridge to the spirit world. Maybe it was him who should be asking Aang for explanations.

Zuko sat up straight, realizing that in his thoughts, he had began to slouch over, "Aang, what is the spirit world like?"

Aang's brow furrowed. Zuko was acting so strange. Admittedly, it wasn't like he had spent much, or any, time with the young Fire Lord recently, but Zuko just didn't seem like Zuko anymore, "Well…" Aang began slowly, "It's a plain of existence that is governed by a completely different reality than our own. Things that seem ordinary to us are completely impossible there, and vice versa. The laws of physics don't apply. I mean, to be honest, it's not something I can even explain with any semblance of accuracy. I couldn't do it justice. Why do you ask?"

Zuko sighed, unsure how to even begin an explanation. In a number of the documents he rummaged through, mentions of highly talented benders entering the spirit world appeared several times from many different cultures and eras. Once, he had mentioned it to Toph, and she immediately demanded him to explain. So, he took Toph with him and read her all the scrolls she wanted. Not all of them were dedicated to fire. All bending disciplines were covered in volume. It became an obsession of theirs. Reading. Learning. Practicing. Gaining new insight from the wisdom of old, "Well it should really be Toph explaining things to you. She is the one puts my theories into practice."

Aang looked at Zuko with an expression torn between amusement and confusion. It was funny how Zuko could barely go five words without mentioning Toph, and yet, in spite of the smile he was trying to keep off his face, he couldn't fathom what Zuko was getting at, "She didn't mention anything earlier when we were sparring. Maybe she didn't want to tell me for some reason?"

The Fire Lord almost let out a laugh. Aang had an uncanny knack for hitting the nail on the head unintentionally, "That's actually probably exactly the case. You see Aang…" Zuko paused yet again. He was starting to hate this hesitation, "In all aspects of life, it is far easier to destroy than it is to create. That is an unfortunate reality. Most of the theoretical bending techniques we developed are very militaristic. Very destructive. These are things that a pacifist such as yourself would not only not be interested in, but would be saddened by the fact that such techniques even exist."

A chill ran up his spine as Aang let the Fire Lord's words sink in. He hadn't come out and said it, but it was clear enough. Just like that, they had entered the only realm of bending Aang refused to take part in; the art of the kill, "Why bring such things up, then Zuko? Why even tell me this?"

For a moment, Zuko remained silent, trying to put his thoughts and feeling into words. Something was eating at him. Something he couldn't understand. Something that, even in these times of peace and 'prosperity,' caused him to sharpen his skills in vigilance, "I can't explain it, but… For the past few months, I've been unable to shake the feeling something terrible is on the horizon."

As the man across from him gazed blankly into the all but set sun, Aang could sense this conversation was about more than firebending training. He removed his eyes from Zuko and turned to share in the last light of the day. He was trying to find words. Maybe words to comfort Zuko. Maybe words to deny his thoughts and put him at ease. None came to mind and before he could stumble over some weak attempt at advice, Zuko spoke again.

"I'm telling you this, in part to get it off my chest, and in part to warn you. I hope I'm worried about nothing. I hope I am wrong. But in case something happens, as the balancer of this world, I want you to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Aang tried to laugh it off, but the mood was too serious.

Zuko sighed. He had been grappling with these thoughts of a long time and now the chance to voice them was on his doorstep, "For the event that war breaks out again, as I fear it will, in which case you need to be prepared to fight. I can't tell you how it will happen. But you need to be ready to face the enemy. Even if that enemy is me."

The last of Zuko's words rang in the Avatar's thoughts. Was Zuko revealing some kind of secret bending technique so that if the time came, he could fight and defeat him? Aang tore his eyes off of the now darkened sky and threw them back onto Zuko, looking for any sign that this was just an elaborate prank. But the Fire Lord sat perfectly still in the darkness, eyes shut, breathing slow and even, his face a mask of determination, "What is giving you the impression war is on the horizon?"

"There's unrest among my soldiers' ranks. Civilians and former military leaders rebel against my reign in my own cities further to the west. There, markets burn down, and my forces are struck by guerillas at night. To the east, the colonies surrendered at the end of the war back to the Earth Kingdom revolt under their new lord. After a century of rule, they are Fire Nation in all but location. And now, they find themselves thrust into to authority of a foreign power. In Ba Sing Se, Omashu, and the Northern Water Tribe the population reverberates with demands of greater retribution. Many people, many diplomats, feel the sanctions and reparations made by the Fire Nation are not enough to cover the damage done in a century of nonstop onslaught. They won't be satisfied until my country is razed to the ground…"

When his words died off, Aang felt a sad frown take him. Zuko, his friend was gone, to be replaced with a weary and burdened Fire Lord. And as he listened, the airbender couldn't blame Zuko for his suspicions at all. The conditions he was describing were nothing if not a volatile recipe for conflict. It saddened him more than he realized that people could not just sit and be happy in peace. It seemed war was something the world would never be rid off, "And in the case battles do break out, what would you have me do?"

"There's a summit next week. The world's leaders will be in attendance at Ba Sing Se. I would appreciate it if you could make your presence known. The people responsible for ruling this planet need to be reminded that there is still a force greater than us advocating peace. Myself included." Zuko let loose a small tragic chuckle, "Even I find myself thinking sometimes it would be easier to throw off the burdens of the economic constraints placed on us and proceed to open war."

"I can come with you. It's not a problem. But Zuko, today is your birthday. You can afford to take a break from being the Fire Lord. At least for one night."

The ability to banish the tiresome and stressful thoughts from his head was an ability Zuko had always been very appreciative of in Aang. And as he weighed the young man's words, hidden with wisdom he himself probably did not mean to impart them with, the Fire Lord conceded. Nothing was going to happen tonight, so maybe, just one evening spent slacking wouldn't kill him.

"I suppose that isn't a half bad idea," Zuko admitted.

* * *

><p>Just a heads up, I'm not writing the party. I tried like three times, but it never was anything other then Gutter Trash, and I write like a gentlemen. So next chapter will pick up right after.<p>

Don't like it? Scroll to the top of the page for directions.

Other than that, thanks for all your words of kindness. Contrary to what you will read next, I have no idea where I'm going.

Fyi, Zuko's last thought? ...**FORESHADOW**


	6. Man of the Hour

A Few Notes

~This is actually one of my favorite chapters. It handles the major issue I have with Toko (See: Mai). I Think it turned out pretty decently, for a change.

~To anonymous reviewer **Midnight**, yo thanks for the line. Actually, my violent side is always used 100% in jest. A gentlemen does not pick fights, fights pick him. Like Soviet Russia, know what I'm saying? And believe it or not, in spite of what my directions may have implied, I don't want strangers' lips on my ass or anywhere near me (with the exception of one or two of you :)). That said, fuck off. Jk Jk, See what I mean?

~As usual, errors may or may not exist. Speaking of which, thanks Metella. You point out my flaws in greater detail then I could ask. And I hate you for it. Enjoy your new enemy :)

~WARNING: Product may contain disproportionate amounts of Katara. Consume at own risk. (Seriously tho, here is another of those conversations between Katara and Zuko. They basically exist to explain away things for me. This one has the added benefit of being entertaining imo)

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><p>Chapter 6: Man of the Hour<p>

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><p>"Ridiculous," Zuko stated, mildly disappointed. The "party," and he used the term liberally, had amounted to nothing more than fine dining, awkward and forced conversation with diplomats and nobility, and drinking on a level a slight bit above social. In other words, it turned out to be incredibly boring. Not that he had expected anything else. While dancing was no longer strictly outlawed, it still remained something that dignified and proper lords and ladies of the court would not stoop so low as to engage in. Which lead to a few solid hours of listening to serpent tongued paper pushers and greedy noblemen using his birthday event as a means to grease his wheels and further their own agendas.<p>

The one and only thing that made it bearable was Toph. Her and a generous portion of rice wine his dear uncle brought from Ba Sing Se, but mostly he thanked Toph. She had stuck by his side throughout most of the night, and true to her tendency to leave him surprised, demonstrated a masterful ability to mingle and manipulate. She would slip away from his side without him noticing, only to return and steal him away from whatever conversation he was trapped in. He knew she was keeping an eye on him, in her own way, of course. And sometimes, he would swear that he could feel her feeling out for him. It was an absurd thought, to be certain. And despite the questionable amount of sense it made, it was a comforting notion.

When she had stomped off earlier to get cleaned up, he was sure she was more than a little pissed at him. However, when they met up before all their guests arrived, she was all smiles arm crunches. As per their wager, she had dressed to the nines. Red silk, golden trim, hair sticks, and shoes surprisingly, sole-less though they were. But unquestionably, the most spectacular thing on her was the one he had gone out of the way to make sure no one took notice of; a small, unobtrusive but highly suggestive golden head piece that sat comfortably on the crown of her head. A simple circle cut in the center with a square, made in the same fashion as the golden flames that rested on his own topknot. Thankfully no one seemed to take much notice in it, aside from his uncle, who did nothing more than grin feverishly. Zuko doubted if even Toph herself understood the significance of it, but she took it when he handed it to her, and put it on when he asked her to if for no other reason than to make him happy. And it did. She looked good. Very good. But he didn't bother telling her. Those clothes were for his benefit, not hers. And the second she wasn't obligated to wear them, she would tear them off.

The thought made him grin.

"What's with the smile?"

Zuko reluctantly withdrew from his hazy thoughts and gave his attention his questioner, "Just surprised everyone crashed so quickly. Maybe we're not as young as we used to be."

Katara joined him in gazing at the tangle of bodies that occupied the common room with them. After the guests left, their small group of friends suddenly found themselves with a healthy surplus of food and wine, which, with the obvious exception of the Avatar, they of course helped themselves to with uncharacteristically miniscule amounts of self restraint. "Yeah, or maybe there's not one between us that can handle their sake."

After Aang had bailed for the night, only he and Katara were left conscious. But as the Fire Lord looked over the room full of his friends passed out here and there, he couldn't help but smile. Haru was spread out face down on the floor, which would have worried Zuko had it not been for his even snores. Jin's feet were resting on his head, barefooted as she too slept. Zuko remembered vaguely something about her trying to "earthbend like Toph," which had led to nothing more than her stomping around and punching people in the arm. Sokka was on the couch with his head back, mouth open, and Suki sprawled out on his lap. It was comical that he had been so eager for a Royal Harem and yet he hadn't been away from Suki the entire night.

"You're brother's not nearly the player he thinks he is," Zuko said as he hoisted himself up off the floor. For a moment, his head spun but as the world stabilized around him he made his way over to their only unaccounted friend.

Katara laughed as she watched Zuko stumble lazily over to Toph, "You think I don't know that? Suki's the one to worry about."

This gave Zuko pause for a moment, and in that brief second, he considered asking Katara just what she had meant by such a thing. But he instead he decided to save his curiosity for later and squatted down, kneeling next to Toph. She was quite inebriated the last time Zuko had seen her conscious, and even now, her usually pale cheeks were tinted an unusual shade of crimson. He smiled as he watched her breathe, the occasional frown and twitch making him wonder what was going on in her head. Sometimes Toph forgot her prowess in earthbending did not translate to all other aspects of life. And her petite stature and not so petite ego did not give her the best compatibility with alcohol.

"I should get her to bed," the Fire Lord murmured. And after a moment of silence he began to wonder if his only conscious companion had heard him.

"You…sure don't seem to have any gripe leaving the rest of us here." Katara said, letting her words take a teasing tone.

"None of you have the potential of destroying my palace simply because your not a morning person."

The waterbender smirked, simultaneously pleased with how well Zuko was able to handle himself drunk and disappointed that he had sidestepped her implication so easily. She watched Zuko pick Toph up, limp like a ragdoll as he slung her ungracefully over his shoulder, "Yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason."

Zuko yielded to turn around and cock his good eyebrow at his friend in question of her sarcasm.

"I bet you just want an excuse to get into Toph's bed," Katara expanded slyly.

Zuko shook his head, amazed at how bothersome the waterbender was being, "Toph is right, I _should _stop hanging out with you."

"Hey, that isn't very nice. And for the record," Katara paused to shoot the Fire Lord a smile, "I'm not hearing a denial."

"Katara. Go to sleep before I light you on fire," Zuko replied as he turned his back and set off toward Toph's room.

"That sounds familiar," the Water Tribe woman breathed to herself before starting after the Fire Lord, "Oh come on Zuko I was just kidding. Wait up and I'll go with you,"

The firebender halted his steps somewhat reluctantly as he waited for Katara to catch up. As she joined his side they continued again, and to Zuko's dismay, as they continued so too did her prying questions.

"So, when are you gonna break down and ask her to marry you?"

"Not going to."

"Ooh the Fire Lord and his eternal earthbending concubine, how scandalous."

"You're lucky _my concubine_ isn't awake to hear you say that."

"So you admit it?"

"Shut up."

"How far have you gone with her? She's still young, you know."

"All the way, all the time. Why, wanna join in?"

Katara stopped, eyes wide, mouth hanging, aghast that Zuko had said such a thing.

The Fire Lord tried to stifle his laughter so he wouldn't wake Toph, but the look on Katara's face was completely priceless and he was more than a little pleased he had managed to make her shut her mouth for a change, "I'm joking, of course."

Katara's shock turned into a scowl as she pouted, "Since when do you joke?"

Zuko pushed open the door to Toph's chamber with his free hand and waved the torchlights into life, "That isn't fair. I've made jokes before."

Katara rolled her eyes, "Fine, since when have you made successful jokes?"

Zuko threw back the covers and slid the sleeping earthbender off his shoulder, "Success, failure," he pushed her legs down and drew the heavy blankets back up over her, "All matters of perspective."

In the dim, flickering firelight, the firebender took the opportunity to examine his own perspective. Looking down at the young earthbender, a thought occurred to him. This would be the first night in quite a while that he would be able to get out of their customary "goodnight ritual." For a moment, he considered ignoring Katara and just pressing a chaste kiss into her forehead. But it would only be fuel for the fire. So he let out a sigh and settled for brushing a stray hair away from her open and snoring mouth. In spite of the fact that he would never admit it, Katara was, basically, hitting the nail on the head. The Fire Lord was not completely oblivious; he knew how he felt about Toph. And if he were to hazard a guess, he would not hesitate to put it in the realm of possibility that the crazy little earthbender felt the same way.

"Look how tender you are with her, Zuko. Why don't you spill it?"

Zuko was sucked back into reality as he began to lean over the bed. How fortunate that Katara had actually chosen a _good_ moment to interrupt, "Why don't you drop it?" he replied more nastily then he intended to. With a sigh he continued, more gently this time "How about I get you to bed also? Come on, I'll take you to your room."

"Ooh are you going to carry me too?" The death glare Katara received from her friend was more than an answer, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But in all honesty I'm not ready for bed yet." The waterbender watched Zuko's head drop in defeat and she smiled,

"It isn't _that_ late, I'm not _that_ drunk, and I would like a drinking buddy."

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><p>The way back to their common room had thankfully been filled with lighter conversation. When they arrived, everyone was still asleep and Zuko, after some rummaging, managed to find a single clay bottle of his uncle's sake that still had its wax seal intact. He let himself crumple onto the ground and sat at the low table across from Katara. After grabbing two small glasses and heating the bottle, he began to pour. And pour. And pour.<p>

"Who would have guessed my uncle was such a connoisseur of something other than tea." Zuko said as he slid Katara her cup.

"A belly like that isn't coming from tea alone," Katara replied with a grin and a sip, "No offense to Uncle Iroh, you know."

Zuko waved it off with a shrug, "He takes pride in being a great person to hug…that sounds weird, doesn't it?" The firebender added with an afterthought and a sip of his own, "Creepy old man."

"No worries," Katara laughed, "Iroh is a gentlemen. More importantly, should I be honored that the Fire Lord himself is pouring sake for a lowly Water Tribe midwife like myself?"

"Not at all," the firebender responded genuinely, "It is _my_ honor to pour for the woman who saved my life."

Katara wasn't sure what to say in response, so thinking it was better to say nothing than ruin Zuko's gesture, she remained silent and sipped her cup. And for a moment, the room was filled with a comfortable silence broken only by the soft sounds of their sleeping friends' breathing and the flickering flames of the torches on the wall. Both benders sipped occasionally at the warm sake as they sat peacefully.

"Zuko, can I ask you something?" Katara asked suddenly, drawing the Fire Lord out of his almost trance like state.

"You may," Zuko replied as he poured them both another cup of sake, "However, whether or not I reply is my decision."

Katara smiled at Zuko's discretion and rewarded it with unusual directness, "What happened with you and Mai?"

"We broke up," the firebender said simply. But at Katara's expecting stare he continued on, "She and I grew apart. A lot faster than I ever thought we would."

"Why?" the brunette inquired before adding, "If you don't mind me asking."

"I discovered that she and I had less things in common once my severe teenage angst cleared up," the Fire Lord joked, "She and I wanted different things. Mai wanted the cushy life, fancy clothes, servants, and power and prestige. I wanted to better my country in a time of economic strife. I started to get the impression she wanted the Fire Lord, not Zuko. Plus, she didn't like how I was dividing my time."

"Oh? Too busy being Fire Lord, I assume."

"Partly. I split the majority of my time between my duty to my country and… Toph." Zuko finished awkwardly. He still was ashamed of what happened with Mai, and being reminded of it was never pleasant for him.

Katara nodded, "I can see how that would be a problem."

"I think somehow, I already knew we were done, even if it was subconsciously or something. I started spending less and less time with her. Then before I realized it, I was only seeing her at night when we went to bed. Then I started working through the night on occasion. Somehow though, I always had time for Toph. I think that was what pushed her over the edge."

Katara remained silent, listening to what Zuko had to say. She could almost feel the guilt wash off him as he spoke, so she let him continue.

"I knew she would leave. And if I wanted, I could have stopped her. Even if I didn't love her, she deserved better than the neglect she got from me. But instead, I was too much of a coward to tell her how it was to her face and I let it drag on and on until she left. The worst part is, not only did I make her hate me, but she must resent Toph as well. And the kid doesn't deserve to be dragged down for my mistakes with Mai."

Katara watched Zuko stare down his cup of sake, a look of pure unfiltered regret plaguing his face. She was starting to catch a glimpse of a side of Zuko she hadn't seen in quite a while, and began to wonder if it was the sake making his lips so loose, "What happened in the end?"

"Nothing," Zuko said as he downed the last of his sake, "I came back one night from late training with Toph and she was just… gone. No note, no warning. Just gone."

"I see." Katara responded neutrally. She was starting to feel bad for making Zuko relive something that was obviously so hard for him.

"And I was so weak that I was actually relieved. Can you believe that? Pathetic."

Katara watched her friend poor himself another cup of sake, "Did you already know how you felt for Toph when she left?"

"No," Zuko answered immediately, "At least…I'd like to think not. But it's hard to say. I can't remember not feeling this way anymore…"

The waterbender shook her head; displeased it took this much alcohol for Zuko to admit his feelings. And he probably didn't even realize he had, "You know you just owned up to having feelings for Toph?"

Zuko sighed. He had had a feeling that she was going to drag that up eventually, but somehow, right now he just didn't feel like hiding it. Looking around at his friends, Zuko was relieved to see that they were all still asleep, "I suppose you are not going to just let sleeping dogs lie?"

"I'm sure I've probably been driving you two crazy the last two days, but… I don't know… I never thought I'd ever think this or hear myself say these words, but you two just seem right for each other. Three days ago I'd have labeled that thought as ridiculous." Katara watched as Zuko's gaze drifted as he listened to her words.

"It's still ridiculous," was Zuko's only response as he rested his head in his hands.

"You can't still really be telling me you see Toph as nothing but a friend," Katara stated evenly. She could tell her friend across the table was becoming uncomfortable, and that made her frown, "I'm sorry. I know it's not my business. I don't mean to keep bugging you."

Zuko drew his gaze back to his friend. She was still looking at him, and although her persistent pressing was annoying, he could tell it was built on good intentions. "Well, it was good to get the Mai thing off my chest. Maybe."

The waterbender rose her eyebrows, surprised by Zuko's sudden change, "I'm always happy to lend an ear." Katara was not about to let this opportunity slip by her, "So what's going on."

Zuko sighed, wondering for a moment when, not if, he would later regret what he was about to tell the waterbender. With a mental shrug he spoke, "When we tell you nothing is going on with us, it is not a lie," the Fire Lord started, "I think Toph and I know how we feel, but neither of us will ever do anything about it."

"Too prideful to make the first move?" she questioned, wondering if that was all it really was.

Zuko smiled, "If only that was the case. I'm afraid things aren't that simple."

"So then why? If you both know how the other feels, what's stopping you?" Katara couldn't believe her two most hot-tempered friends were being so passive.

"There are a lot of reasons."

"Such as?"

The firebender ran his hand through his hair, pulling it out of his face before letting it fall back down into its usual mess, "Well, for one, I'm the Fire Lord and she's an earthbender. That might be a little frowned upon by, you know, my entire country."

"So what? You rule them, not the other way around, remember?" She retorted quickly. To Katara, that seemed more like an excuse than anything else.

"It doesn't seem that way sometimes," Zuko drawled, "Besides, Toph knows that some day I will need a Fire Lady. I will need children to rule when my time comes. What if my kids were earthbenders?"

"Fifty-fifty chance," the woman from the southern pole shrugged.

"I'm not gambling with the future of my country," the Fire Lord shot back, "And even if, purely for the sake of argument, our children were guaranteed to be firebenders, I could and would never ask Toph to bear that kind of burden for me. Can you imagine her being bound with that kind of responsibility, having to stay here, raise kids, tend to a family?"

Katara smiled at Zuko as he counted off the reasons on his fingers. In his doubt, there were so many obvious things he was ignoring, "Zuko, she hasn't left you in four years. You already saddle her with all kinds of responsibilities. She's around you everyday, all the time and hasn't gotten sick of you yet. That in and of itself is a miracle."

Zuko laughed quietly, "Wow, thanks."

"The point is," the waterbender held up her finger in emphasis, "She hasn't bailed on you yet in spite of all that. I don't think she'll leave for anything, really."

Zuko let his head fall onto the table. He was suddenly feeling very tired. This conversation with Katara, and this bottle of sake, was lasting a lot longer than he had been expecting, "There's another, more important reason it'll never happen."

"What is it? I'll shoot that one down too." The blue-eyed bender replied as she poured herself a cup for a change.

"It's simple. And with as perceptive as Toph is, I wouldn't be surprised if she knew it too."

"And?"

"I'm just not good enough for Toph," Zuko said with a feeble laugh. Without raising his head, he held his hand up to silence the protests he knew would be coming,

"Before you even say I'm being too hard on myself, just know, I'm not. You heard what happened with Mai. And that was just the short, abridged, non-hysteric, drama-free version. What if I did something like that to Toph? Mai was one thing, but I don't know how I'd handle Toph walking out on me. And even if it doesn't come to that, do you have any idea how amazing Toph is? She deserves someone better then me. _A lot better_. I'm just not good enough for her. And the reality of it is, there's simply no arguing against that fact."

Katara waited for Zuko to finish. His words echoed off the wood of the table as he spoke into it, and she could tell that at the very least, he believed what he was saying whole-heartedly. "I'm disappointed with you, Zuko. When did you become so full of doubt? It isn't like you."

The Fire Lord let out another sad laugh, "That's where you're wrong. It's _just_ like me."

The waterbender sighed as she watched Zuko go limp with the onset of sleep. She hoisted herself up, finding that she had to brace herself on her knees for a moment to steady her balance. She was a little tipsy was the conclusion she came to. So, slowly, making every move deliberate and focused, she made her way around the table and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. After a few seconds of coaxing shakes, he was conscious again.

"Come on, Fire Lord, I'll escort you to your quarters," Katara almost stumbled over as Zuko used her hand as an aide to pull himself up. He was deceptively heavy, but she managed to keep her footing even as her friend put some of his weight on her, "Wow, officially changing your name to Fire Lord Fat-ass."

"Itsall muscle, all havyou know," Zuko slurred in response as they started towards his room.

Katara rolled her eyes. She had forgotten that Zuko had already been drinking at the party, and with their friends before their most recent round of sake. He was pretty drunk, she decided. As they walked through the corridors, that were unfortunately unlit for the most part, both benders kept their silence. And soon, much to Katara's relief, they were outside the heavy mahogany doors of the Fire Lord's personal chambers. With an extraordinary amount of effort on both of their parts, Zuko and Katara heaved the doors open. After dragging Zuko increasingly less responsive body to his oversized bed, she let him slip off her arm and down onto the red silk.

She took a moment to catch her breath from the arduous task of hauling Zuko's dead weight to bed. As she did, she examined the chamber's surprisingly spartan style, not at all what she would picture the bedroom of a Fire Lord to be like. But exactly how she would picture Zuko's. There was hardly anything in the room, which was unusual for its size and at first a lot of it seemed like wasted space. A big bed on the wall, a couch just barely big enough to stretch out on, a large doorway that was open which led out into the garden Zuko had led her through the night before, a wardrobe she guessed housed all his royal attire, and what looked to be a small ring outlined only by a thin, engraved line in the stone that took up nearly all of the unused space in the room. As she looked at it, she smiled, almost able to see Zuko practicing firebending and sparring with Toph in it. How like him to have a miniature ring right in his chambers.

Katara turned her attention back to the firebender and found that he was already sleeping quietly were she had plopped him down. After making sure he was comfortable, she turned around and headed out. But as she reached the heavy doors, she paused, turning around to examine the doors on the other side of the room that were still wide open to the garden beyond. She considered closing them for a moment, but it was a warm night and they were letting in a nice breeze. So, after bidding Zuko a silent goodnight, she turned her back to him again, shutting the doors behind her as she left.

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><p>Okay good news. In the next chapter (whenever that may be), finally...<p>

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**SHIT GOES DOWN. FINALLY.**

**R&R**, or I'll insert threat here, and you don't want that, do you? Exactly.

On one last (serious) note, let me ask you all a question. What is the weakest aspect of my writing? Don't be afraid to be brutal honest, I don't bite unless you want me to.


	7. No Woman No Cry

A Few(one) Notes(note)~

-Hey look, an update. And a short one at that. Better late and skimpy than never tho, right?

Right? No seriously, is that right? I'm not so sure.

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><p>Chapter 7: No Woman No Cry<p>

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><p>Toph woke in the morning feeling like…<p>

_Shit. _

Shit was the only word that came to mind. Her head felt like there was an axe being driven through it at an excruciatingly slow pace. Every little bit of motion only served to push the dull blade further and further, inch-by-inch until she was pretty sure there was two clean halves of her freshly cleaved skull. Her ears rang with what she guessed was the sound of at least a hundred bell towers, and every sound felt like someone was taking a hammer right to the side of her temple. The first thing she could think of doing was throwing off the blankets that seemed to be intent on smothering her to death. After some frustrated kicking that left her out of breath, she was free of her silky constraint.

With a groan, she rolled on her side, letting herself tumble out of bed and onto her feet. What greeted her was not pleasant. The sensation was akin to her feet were screaming at her. The subtle vibrations and sensations that normally constructed her entire world had suddenly become her enemy.

_Mortal enemy_, she corrected herself.

Every little tactile impulse was a nail in her brain's coffin. All the pulses she could feel in the palace were beating at her mind like a hypnotyzingly rhythmic battering ram. At least she had made it to her room after last night, somehow. Toph tried to center herself. She tried to ignore the sensations pounding at her. She could almost hear Zuko's voice in her ear, smiling at her, laughing at her. Giving her grief for what a lightweight she was.

_Breathe, Toph. Breathe._

She repeated the mantra to herself steadily as she made her way out of her room through the garden doors. As soon as she set foot onto the loamy soil of the grass, it was like the world around her was suddenly muffled. Toph took a moment to enjoy the newfound quiet and inhale the fresh air of the garden before she continued on towards Zuko's room. It was odd, but for some reason she couldn't feel him out. Cursing the incessant chirping of birds that was slowly driving her mad, she attributed the Fire Lord's absence to either the stifling effect of the grass beneath her feet or the fact that he was probable still in bed and the wooden frame was just blocking him out.

That stupid bed frame had always annoyed her. She could be standing right beside it but as long as he was on that bed, Zuko was perfectly invisible to her. Intending to march straight into his room, drag his ass out of bed, and give him a piece of her mind for not taking better care of her and reminding her not to drink so much, Toph stomped the rest of the way through the garden and into the rows of columns that prefaced Zuko's bedroom. She found the doors were already open, so not wasting any time she stopped at the edge of the bed and started groping around haphazardly in an attempt to get a grasp on Zuko.

But the more her hands fumbled around in the silk sheets, the more it seemed that the Fire Lord was not in his bed after all. After a groan and a series of curses at Zuko for making her effort of walking _all the way _over here wasted, she centered herself in preparation. With a stomp, she sent a miniature shock wave through the world around her. The vibrations it caused were enough for her to feel out everyone inside of the palace grounds that was on any kind of stone. As the information rushed back at her, she tried to sort through it all.

Katara was in her room across the garden. Aang was in the stables, probably tending to Aapa, Toph assumed. The rest of their gang was still lying about in the common room, most of which were still asleep. But Zuko was nowhere to be found. It was more than a little off. The absolute absence of his presence gave the earthbender the impression that the Fire Lord was outside of the palace walls. And that didn't sit well with her.

Zuko _never_ left without telling her.

So why would he now? Rationalizing it as her own mistakes for somehow overlooking his whereabouts, she tried to suppress the nervous feeling that was rising to lump in her throat. After brushing her fingers across the silk of his bed, Toph turned around and exited the other set of doors to Zuko's room. As she set foot in the hall of the royal quarters, she sensed a pair of guards just around the corner. After attempting to shake off her hangover, she did her best to put on her business face as she approached the patrolling guardsmen.

"Good morning, General." The two firebenders snapped to attention as Toph approached.

Toph waved off their formality after they finished their bow, "At ease. Have either of you seen the Fire Lord this morning?"

"No, General. I was under the impression Fire Lord Zuko was still," the guardsman shot his comrade a grin and tried to hide his laughter, "…recovering from last night. If I may, ma'am, I would suggest you check his chambers."

Toph thanked the pair of soldiers and returned them to their duty before turning back down the hall. Something was definitely wrong. The feeling in her gut was as good as proof. But as she walked toward Katara's room, taking care to control her pace, she began to second-guess herself.

_So what if the guards haven't seen him?_

_He probably took the garden exit._

_But then why can't I feel him._

_You're a mess, Toph. Concentrate woman. _

_It's no use. I still can't find him…_

"Toph?"

The earthbender materialized back into reality as her name played in her ears. Suddenly, Katara was standing right in front of her.

"It's not like you to zone out while you're walking around." The waterbender chided, "You almost walked into me."

Toph ignored her comment, "Katara, have you seen Zuko?"

Katara frowned as she heard her name come out of Toph's mouth. It may have been a while since they had been around each other, but Katara knew for a fact that Toph never used first names unless something serious was going on.

"I haven't seen him since last night," the waterbender's mind flickered to the conversation she had with the Fire Lord as she watched Toph's mouth slowly compress into a thin, perfectly horizontal frown line, "Why? What's going on?"

Toph shook her head, decided it was best not to jump to any conclusions, and stepped around Katara, "Nothing. I just can't find him."

Katara paused, stunned for a moment as Toph quickened her pace. In spite of her brush off, something was very obviously wrong with the little earthbender. So Katara stepped into pace behind her, "So what? Is that unusual?"

"Yes," Toph replied flatly.

Katara was a bit taken aback by the determination in Toph's voice, "Where are you going?"

Stepping up her stride, Toph wove through the corridors of the palace with practiced efficiency, "Iroh, then the palace gate, then Aang."

The waterbender said nothing in response. Something was different about Toph. Her answers were shorter, more serious, lacking in her usual playful, mischievous tone. The whole air around her was changing. And the more she noticed it, the more it gave her a nervous feeling.

Toph came to a stop outside of the room Iroh always occupied when he stayed in the palace. Not placing common courtesy high on her list of priority at the moment, Toph threw open the doors without knocking and walked inside. She immediately felt Iroh sitting with his knees bent under him in the traditional Fire Nation posture in front of a Pai Sho board.

"Toph, Katara, what have I done to earn a visit from such beautiful ladies so early in the morning?" Iroh placed a hand on his knee, and hoisted himself up, trying not to let his old age show.

"Iroh, have you seen Zuko?"

Katara watched as the smile on Iroh's face instantly melted away as Toph's voice met his ears. It seemed he too could tell that something was wrong. As Iroh looked at her, and then back to Toph, his brow pressed into a serious expression.

"No I'm sorry to say I haven't seen my dear nephew since the party last night," the old general tugged at his beard, "From the worry in your eyes I would assume that you haven't either."

When Toph remained silent, Katara stepped forward to Iroh, "Neither of us have seen him since last night. Apparently, the guards in the royal quarters said he should still be in his room."

"He's not," Toph spoke up. She couldn't help second-guessing herself. Maybe she was just missing him. But the more she checked, the more it was obvious Zuko was not within the palace walls.

"Am I to also assume that you can not feel him out, Toph?" Iroh asked, stepping towards the doors where he gestured for them all to exit.

Both the general and the waterbender looked over at Toph. The expression on her face was warping into something almost sinister. Something desperate and wild.

"I thought I was just too hung over. That I was making a mistake. But I'm not. Zuko isn't here."

Iroh trained his eyes on his surrogate niece, watching the range of emotions running through her. Anxiety was furrowing her brow, "Are you certain?"

"Yes," Toph confirmed, "There's no doubt."

"I see," Iroh responded slowly.

In between them, Katara watched as something switched in the two generals. Like some sort of lever had been pulled, changing their whole demeanor.

"I will assemble the Palace Guard. Toph, head to perimeter, gather the watchmen and see if you can find anyone who has seen Zuko. It's possible he simply left into the city. Katara, please find your companions and do the same. There is much ground to cover."

"Wait." Toph's command was crisp and absolute enough to stop both her companions, "We need to consider the possibility that palace security has been breached. If something _has_ happened to Zuko, the last thing we should do is announce it to the world. Until we have solid information, this should be kept as quiet as possible."

Iroh ran a hand through the tufts of his beard as he considered what the blind girl had said. There was unquestionable wisdom in her point. Announcing the Fire Lord had gone missing would cause panic throughout the palace and eventually the entire Fire Nation. Not to mention it was tantamount to declaring their newfound state of vulnerability to any enemies they may have and the world at large,

"Toph is correct," Iroh concluded, "These circumstances call for prudence and caution. The first thing we need is, as my dear niece said, information. Katara, please get everyone together, but do it quietly. Toph we should-"

"Niece…" The word weighed heavy on the earthbender's mind, not because it was used in reference to her, she was used to that. What bothered her was something else all together. It was easy to forget sometimes, but she wasn't the only niece Iroh had. The scowl on Toph's face was warped into a furious mask as the realization struck her.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I not have realized?_

Zuko had just gone to see her the day before, alone and unscheduled, and now he had mysteriously vanished. That was too convenient to be coincidence. Her mindset on what she had to do, she tried to subside the bubbling mixture of fear and rage that burned in the pit of her stomach. If _she_ had anything, _anything,_ to do with this than the life Zuko had spared her would go to waste. Because this was going to be that psycho bitch's last day alive.

Toph spun on her heel, threw open the heavy wooden doors in a thunderous whirlwind of seething wrath and was out of the room before Katara could really get a grasp on the situation. Iroh was soon next to her and in an instant he had a hand on her shoulder and a comforting smile on his face, "Don't frown so much, my dear. Toph can handle more than you or I could dare dream to. And such a lovely girl shouldn't worry so. You'll get wrinkles to rival this old man's."

And with that, he too left swiftly through the door in a swirl of robes and hot air that betrayed the serene smile on Iroh's face. Leaving Katara alone and at a loss. Something about Toph's sudden unbridled frenzy, and Iroh's controlled but poorly hidden fear had frightened her. Those were two of the most powerful people she had come across in her entire life, and seeing them act with such anxiety was more than enough to convey the gravity of the situation. If _they_ were worried, shit had truly hit the fan. She shook her head clear and set a foot forward with renewed purpose. There was one person who could be very useful to her. And in spite of how much she didn't want to rely on him, she found herself running at full tilt right to the stables. Right to Aang.

* * *

><p>OMG OMG OMG! Right?<p>

Not. Anyway, I forgot how fun this is. Drop me a line and say my fun was fun for you too. Or just say whatever. I'm not that picky.


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